#basically; if i make him a part of it: maverick killed him due to his obsessive behavior; but it was in self-defense

[malkaviian]

im writing zachary's backstory and man im tempted as hell to make maverick a part of it

[heartlandians]

Filling Empty Spaces (Amy/Mitch), part 187

Mitch and Amy find an unexpected connection due to absent lovers. Set around season 11->.

A/N: I didn’t have a beta for this story, so hopefully there won’t be too many grammar errors.

* * * *

Later that day, when Mitch waited on the side of the road with Maverick and Whisky in-tow, he noticed the horses perking their ears even before he could hear anyone approaching. Checking the time from his watch, he could see Bryce was being punctual. 

And just as expected, the other man’s truck appeared along the road that lead out from the woods, and he slowed down just before Mitch and the horses to park his vehicle on the side of the road. 

Mitch slid down from Maverick’s back and walked the horses to the side of the field to welcome his friend.

“Hey. Thanks for coming to do this”, Mitch said when Bryce opened his door and assembled his chair beside the truck.

“No worries. I mean, you’re basically giving me an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone”, Bryce said, locking in the other tire of his wheelchair before moving himself on top of it. “I get a break from all the work at the ranch, but I also get to check on Whisky. How’s he been?”

“Great”, Mitch reported, glancing toward he horse’s direction. “His leg has really improved. I think the rides in the nature have helped him strengthen it up. But, you can see for yourself.”

Bryce seemed pleased with what he was hearing.

“That’s good news”, he then said, closing the truck door and making his way to the horse. The terrain was thankfully not too hard for him to navigate. “How ya doin’, buddy?” the man asked from the horse who seemed happy to see him.

While Whisky was looking for something to eat from the pocket behind Bryce’s chair, the man was running his hand through the horse’s body to see how balanced the animal’s build was seeing he wasn’t scared to put weight on his healing leg.

“Maverick’s been loving having him around too”, Mitch continued sharing the experience he had had with having a friend for his gelding. “I think it has helped him adjust to the new place too.”

“Well, maybe I’ll sell Whisky to you then”, Bryce said, seeing an opportunity. “I mean, he’s a great horse. You could use a spare - and a friend for Maverick, of course.”

Mitch hummed, amused by the way Bryce was always ready to make some deals if he saw the opportunity. 

“I’d have to think about it.”

Bryce nodded, then giving Whisky’s neck a gentle pat.

“Well, from what I’m seeing he’s not being too careful with his leg”, Bryce gave his quick assessment. “But let’s see how he is with me riding him.”

“Okay”, Mitch said, positioning the horse so that he had room to lay down so Bryce could get on him. 

With few cues, the two men were able to make Whisky lie down on the ground. Bryce moved his chair around and then eventually got on the horse. Holding on tight, he gave Whisky a sign to get on his legs. 

After adjusting himself on the saddle, Mitch handed him Maverick’s lead so he could take Bryce’s chair back to his truck. He placed it on the bed of Bryce’s truck, hiding it under the tarp so no one passing by would be too interested in it.

“Ready to go?” Mitch asked when he headed back to them from the truck.

Bryce nodded. “I am.”

“Alright, let’s go check out some cattle then”, Mitch said, walking next to Maverick and getting up. 

With Tim backing out somewhat last minute, Mitch had decided to ask Bryce to join him. He could have done this alone too, but he preferred to have someone with him, in case something unexpected would happen. With the cattle grazing freely on the nearby lands, sometimes predators were interested in them and that created dangerous situations. In those moments, a friend was good to have around.

* * * *

“I can see why you like this so much”, Bryce commented when they had been riding for a while, looking for the herd they knew to be around there somewhere. “I mean, if we wouldn’t have to fear that Keith’s guys would ride off to the sunset, never to be seen again, I could bring them here to just do this. They might actually have a chance to relax, for once.”

Mitch nodded, agreeing that it would probably have that effect on them. Stuck inside a prison cell most of the day was not something anyone probably enjoyed, especially if they were stuck there with their thoughts and regrets. Anyone in that situation would most likely happily accept any reason to distract themselves, let alone a ride in the nature to actually exhale some of the stress away.

Whenever he had visited Bryce’s place recently, Mitch had popped in to see how the guys from the prison were doing. It seemed like being around the horses, gentling them and helping with the chores had a positive effect on them. It provided them hope and comfort that they probably so desperately sought.

“Maybe that’ll be the last step at some point”, Mitch offered. “When the trust has been gained”, he added.

“Yeah. We’ll see. Keith still calls the shots as he’s been doing this for years, and I’m still a rookie, in a way”, Bryce said, shrugging. “But even I enjoy this, and I’m not stuck inside - just busy.”

“You gotta be careful with that”, Mitch replied with some hint of concern in his voice for his friend’s well-being. “You’re wearing yourself thin. I know you like to keep yourself busy and active, but... you can’t be everywhere all at once.”

“I know, I know... But you gotta strike while the iron is hot, right?” 

“Not if it causes you stress”, Mitch pointed out. “I’m sure you would say the same thing to yourself if you were me.”

Bryce hummed. Mitch had a point. “Touché...”

When they arrived to one of the hill tops, both of them tightened the reins a little bit, making the horses stop. Mitch scanned the area, looking at the cattle and trying to count the heads to make sure they were all - or, at least, most of them - still there. 

Meanwhile, Bryce enjoyed the view.

“So, are we going to do some cowboy action now?” he asked, glancing at Mitch, waiting for his cue.

“Looks like we don’t have to”, Mitch said after doing a rough estimate of the count. Thankfully the cattle liked to stick together, close to each other. “Seems like they’re doing well.”

“Ah, damn it... I was hoping we could get to do some actual roping or wrangling”, Bryce said, obviously a little disappointed. But he wasn’t one to wallow in that emotion for too long. “Well, maybe better for Whisky too; we should let his leg heal properly. -- He seems okay, but I don’t want to risk it with too much pressure on it.”

Mitch nodded, agreeing. “Yeah. We could still take a little ride, if you’re up for it.”

He knew Bryce had to sometimes take time off from sitting in his chair or saddle to make sure he wouldn’t break the skin behind him as he had no muscle or fat around his bones to protect his lower body.

“Sure”, Bryce said. “I think Whisky’s enjoying this too.”

“Alright then. This way”, Mitch showed, figuring they might also check out the wild herd while they were at it. He could then let Amy know how Diablo was doing. 

Now that Amy had entered his mind, the memories about Leah from earlier that day had too.

Mitch glanced at Bryce who was lost in his thoughts.

Even though his relationship with Bryce as a therapist was somewhat unofficial at this point, he knew the man still liked to be kept in the loop about how his process with this therapeutic journey was going; now that he had the tools to deal with it, he was on his own.

After Amy had left, and they had been able to put most of the stuff from the boxes away, Mitch had still been left with the scarf that he had been supposed to toss away. For some reason he had still held onto it and he felt like it was for a reason.

“Can I talk about something? This... discovery that I might have made today”, Mitch asked from Bryce. 

Mitch also knew his friend had a lot on his plate and he didn’t want to use him for his advantage just because Bryce was a good listener and great at giving advice. Bryce needed to assess his boundaries too, and Mitch was ready to respect them.

Bryce, who was now riding on his side, nodded. 

“Of course. What is it?”

“Well, you know how we’ve talked about my attachment style”, Mitch started with the basis. When he got an approving mumble from Bryce, he continued. “I mean, with Lou, especially. How hard it was for me to... be in that relationship and feel myself equal to her in family situations.”

“Because of her ex and their close relationship even after the divorce?” Bryce brought up.

“Yes. I always felt like... I was somehow supposed to protect her from something, some kind of emotional hurt she was going through, but I just... couldn’t find my way in. Not with Peter hovering around”, Mitch repeated what they had already assessed in some earlier session.

“It’s hard to do that without feeling like you’re stepping on someone’s toes”, Bryce commented. “I mean, it was her decision to keep her ex in her life, and that was just something you had to respect, whether you approved of it or not.”

Mitch nodded. He could now see how draining that situation had been for him, even though he had cared about Lou a lot. It was freeing not to be involved with that whole scenario anymore.

“I wish I could have been that kind of guy who just didn’t care. I mean, I tried. But turned out, I cared too much. I tried my best to understand Lou’s side, I tried even understanding Peter’s side. I tried to be civil with him, but I think he was always sort of... sizing me up. Like he was reminding me of my place, making sure I’d remember that I was never going to be his equal.”

“So what made you think of this now? It’s been a while since you’ve even talked about Lou”, his friend wondered. 

Bryce understood that sometimes it took a while for people to go through the ghosts of their past relationships, but usually there was some type of trigger for those things to flood back like this.

“Well, I think it’s a repeated pattern”, Mitch admitted. “From the past. Sort of like with my other trauma.”

Bryce recognized the pattern, but wasn’t sure what it was relating to. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, earlier today I started thinking about this girlfriend I had when I was in high school”, Mitch shared. “We had a pretty... serious relationship, considering we were still so young. It was all going well until this one night changed everything. I have so many regrets about that whole thing still... I thought I had left that behind me, and in a way I had, I had not thought about her actively till now.”

“What happened then?” Bryce asked.

“We were at this party. Me, her, Zach and Mel. Around midnight Mel came to me and said Zach had had too much to drink, and she needed help getting him home. I went to help her out, so we could get him into the car”, Mitch recalled. Bryce was already familiar with who Zach and Mel were, so Mitch felt comfortable talking about them with their first names. “So my girlfriend was left alone for... maybe, I don’t know, 25 minutes. I told her I’d meet her back inside after I was done helping Zach.”

It all still felt very fresh in his mind, like a clear linear story, even though at the time the whole night had been a bit chaotic. But the way he had gone through it all throughout the years, thinking what he could have done differently so many times, had almost made it into this movie inside his head. He knew it through and through, and yet... there was so much that he had never come to know.

Like some of the footage was missing on the cutting room floor. It still haunted him.

“So... I sent Mel and Zach home and went back inside the house”, Mitch told the story, feeling so detached from something like that now. “I couldn’t find my girlfriend. I kept looking, asking around. Eventually I heard she had gone home with some friends of hers. I was confused at the time, even tried calling her to make sure she was okay, but... she never got back to me.”

Bryce listened, feeling like he was being told the plot of some teenage TV drama. He had to remind himself that this was Mitch’s life, even though it was not about his current situation.

“The next day, when she still hadn’t gotten back to my texts, I decided I’d go to her house”, Mitch went on. “She seemed different. Like she didn’t want me there. At first I thought she was just hurt because maybe she had thought I had abandoned her at the party. But it had only been like 25 minutes, and we had promised to see each other when I got back inside, so I didn’t think it was such a big deal. I tried to apologize to her, but she just kept pushing me away. So I had to leave her house -- I mean, what else was I supposed to do?”

“Sounds like pretty typical teenage stuff to me”, Bryce commented. He hoped Mitch had no regrets about that as it had happened to pretty much all of them.

“Well, yeah, it does, but... what followed from this was the point I’m trying to make here, I guess”, Mitch felt like he needed to slowly fish Bryce back with some sort of hook. “Things between us never went back to normal after that, and for the longest time I couldn’t understand why. But then... the pictures from the party came and they were spread everywhere. At the school, online...”

Bryce turned his head toward him. “What pictures?”

“She was... roofied”, Mitch said with a heavy sigh. “By some guys at the party. Then... stripped naked. They took pictures of her when she was passed out.”

Mitch heard Bryce let out some disappointed cursed words. 

“Men can be such pigs”, he added.

“Yeah...” Mitch agreed. “But at the time-- I’m so embarrassed to say now, but I let everyone’s words get to me. She was basically shamed for something she had no control over, but at the time I just thought that... I probably shouldn’t associate with her because of everything that followed. So... we broke up. -- I feel like such an idiot now.”

“Well, as much as it sucks - and this is no excuse for whatever those assholes did - the world was a different place back when we were younger”, Bryce recalled. “A lot of shit was done to women and not a whole lot of people gave them any sympathy for it. At least now we can recognize that and change the way things are handled. Better later than never.”

Mitch nodded. He couldn’t help but wonder how Leah was doing now. How had she coped with all of that?

“After we graduated, I never saw her again. Now I just... I keep thinking whatever happened to her. It’s so crazy to think that she used to be part of my daily life and then we became complete strangers because of that one night.”

“That happens, especially when we step into adulthood”, Bryce said, wanting Mitch to be a little more forgiving with himself. “So... I think it’s safe to assume that while this whole thing was traumatic for her, it must’ve affected you too”, he assumed because they were now talking about it, even after all the years Mitch lived since then. 

Bryce didn’t want to diminish this girl’s trauma, but she was not his responsibility. What he was now focused on was his friend.

“It did. I never stopped loving her through it all, but I just... felt so bad about myself. What if I had not left her alone? Why couldn’t I protect her better? And who were those guys who did this to her? I don’t think they ever found out.”

“Hopefully karma got to them...” Bryce muttered.

Mitch nodded. 

“I guess... something about the situation with Lou triggered that same feeling in me. I know it’s drastically different, but for so long these faceless guys were taunting me for not being a better protector to my girlfriend, and something about Peter gave me the same type of feeling”, Mitch explained. “Like I was challenged and yet I felt like my hands were tied behind my back. Because of the respect I had for Lou, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t say anything, I just had to take it. But now I’m not sure if I did the right thing after all.”

Bryce could see the logic. “It’s good to reflect your own actions, learn from them.”

“Yeah... well, I try. -- I mean, I can’t help but think that it was never going to last between me and Lou as long as Peter was going to be around or before I would deal with this crap that I have in my head - that I didn’t realize I had till today - and... well, Peter’s never going to not be part of her life, so... I guess in a way when it all ended, I felt relieved. That I didn’t have to find a solution, because I had no idea what it was. Who knows if I ever would have because I couldn’t connect the dots between these two situations”, Mitch talked. 

Bryce glanced at him. “Every relationship can be a lesson on top of everything else.”

“I guess. -- The more I think about all this, the more I realize how much my morals are based on what I knew to be right but what I didn’t go through back then. Like I’m still trying to grasp the action part. Almost like redeem myself.”

“Well, the way I see it, you have two roads out from here”, Bryce announced. “Either you avoid relationships where the ex is involved, or you deal with this before you get into a new relationship. Bottom line is, this sounds like something you have to deal with. For your own good.”

Mitch suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulders, because he realized that in some ways because of Lyndy, Ty was going to be involved with Amy’s life in some form. Maybe not the way Peter was with Lou and their girls, but since Ty was allowed to see Lyndy too, he was always just some steps away from Amy - and therefore him if they were going to continue this relationship.

Amy and him weren’t dating - yet - but it seemed like they were heading toward that direction, and Mitch knew that he didn’t want to bring this old baggage to that relationship, not anymore, so he would have to find a way to deal with it so he wouldn’t end up hurting Amy as well.

That was the last thing he wanted.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 124

Second half of the exhibition!  Mac’s performance here is based on an actual incident that occurred with one of the many actual cats that Mac is based on.

Trigger warnings for blood here.

Thanks go to @baelpenrose for his beta-reading and Arthur, @zommbiebro for Jokul, @books-and-cartoons for GK, @werewolf2578 for Michael and all the other characters you have added to this story, and @charlylimph-blog for her characters. <3 you both!

“Who is competing in the canine rounds?” Coffey asked, steering the topic smoothly. 

“Myself,” Grandma Kim gestured. “Michael and Sparkles, Derek and Machiavelli, for the service round. I believe there are a few more for the security round, but I don’t recall whom.”  From GK, that was basically saying they were so far beneath her notice that she refused to learn their names.

A chime sounded, indicating that the intermission had ended. Arthur, Coffey, and I made our way back into the stands, waving to Simon as he worked his way onto the sidelines. Ivan had initially come down ahead of me and Maverick, but was also packing the floor with the competitors for the upcoming events. As soon as we took our seats, Evania announced the next event - sure enough, it was the service and security animal exhibitions.

Rather than the participants stepping forward, Antoine took the floor after Evan. “Previously, these events were separated and considered the ‘canine’ events.  However, it has been brought to my attention, most ardently, that service and security animals are not limited to canines, even with the limited amount of animals we currently have on the Ark. As such, we are combining the service and security events, and this year there is a non-canine participant.  Due to the nature of the exhibition, I will be personally monitoring from the sidelines in case there is any need for interventions.  Also, as with in the past, please be assured that all participants in these events are volunteers and a med bay is on standby.”

Medbay is on standby? I wondered. I didn’t recall that before, but I also hadn’t paid more attention than was necessary to know how many jerky treats to give Lyric and Sparkles.

First up was our veteran, Lyric the First. The elder stateswoman of Ark companions may have hobbled onto the field, but she went through her paces as a service animal with tidy precision. On top of that, the second the ‘security’ portion started and someone brandished a weapon at GK, all concept of ‘elder’ went out the window and Lyric became 120lbs of teeth and fury, daring the faux-attacker to come within six feet of her charge.

I could feel Coffey shudder beside me, at the same time that I could see Arthur nod with approval.  I couldn’t lie - there was a part of me that remembered this same dog standing over me when Maverick first dropped by unexpectedly, and I was warmed to know that I had been so safe in that moment.

After the applause due such a respected member of the community, Lyric the First was taken off the field, and it was Lyric II’s turn to show how she lived up to the name.  Sure enough, she displayed the same precision in the service animal rounds, but it was clear that she knew this was for show in the security segment.  Rather than the degree of savagery her mother had shown, Lyric II was clearly a little confused by the fake-attack.  She still received her applause and treats, however, while GK was obviously considering how much more training was needed.

Michael and Sparkle were next, and their performance was on-par with Lyric the First. Rather than having Sparkle function as a service animal for Michael, Sam had volunteered. The moment loud noises started to upset Sam, Sparkle nudged him into a prone position and brought his ribbon over.  If someone tried to step to close, she calmly pushed them back. Due to her youth, Michael did step in for the security portion - Sparkle wasn’t trained to decide between security and support yet - and that was where she shined.  Without hesitation, she took a defensive stance at any aggression toward Michael, and really did Lyric the First proud.

And then, the fourth round happened. That was what set the crowd’s eyebrows on end, the round with non-stop chatter throughout.

On the contrary to the rounds with both Lyrics and Sparkle, there was no leash, there were no steps to walk through. Instead, the crowd saw Derek Okafor walk out, carrying a lavender blanket and pillow, with a solid mass of feline ink trailing behind him.  Rather than lead Mac through any actions, Derek set the pillow down, curled up on the floor, and covered himself with the blanket.  In an action I had witnessed on more occasions than I could count, Mac curled his impressive mass on the blanket, just outside of Derek’s elbow.  Directed audio amplified Mac’s purring so everyone could hear it, even in the furthest seats.

Suddenly, the audio in the gym played discordant noises.  Not even waiting for Derek to flinch, Mac darted under the blanket and a lump erupted where Derek’s ear had been.  After a moment, the sound cut off, and instead a bowl of food - one so strong-smelling that I could catch it from my seat - was brought out. Mac poked his nose out and started sneezing convulsively, hissing at the bowl as he moved towards it.

The coup de grace was what came next. Without warning, as soon as the bowl was taken away, someone darted towards Derek from the other side. I could actually feel my soul chuckle for this poor slob as I anticipated what would happen.

Sure enough, Mac became a blur of void and vaulted over Derek, clawing the interloper from elbow to wrist, then from thigh to knee. He hissed and spat, clawing at anything and anyone that came within reach.  Nothing could stop the ball of feline fury until Derek darted out an arm to scoop Mac back under the blanket while the poor volunteer - who looked like they had a bad date with a Cuisinart - was led to the aforementioned med bay.

“I’m not sure they knew they were signing up for this,” I murmured to Maverick and Coffey.

Coffey made a firmly negative gesture. “I assure you that they were aware. That particular volunteer? She has been Machiavelli’s training target for three months now.”

“Why?” I sputtered.

“Some people are afraid of dogs,” Coffey shrugged. Given his clear discomfort watching both Lyrics perform, it made more sense suddenly.  I knew he wasn’t afraid of dogs - he kept treats in his pocket for Lyric and Lyric II, at all times - but we weren’t far enough removed from Earth to make everyone comfortable with the kinds of dogs that worked best as service animals.

A cat, though? I knew from a lifetime of experience that nothing was as persistent or vicious as a cat, when properly motivated.

The audience was respectfully silent until Mac and Derek left the gym, before cheering wildly.  Even from where I was sitting, I could hear people talking about the potential of having a cat once the colony was established.  As a firmly devoted cat owner, I couldn’t even make up an excuse to argue.

Arthur leaned over so I could hear him clearly. “You never told me you have an attack cat.”

“I’ve always had them,” I admitted. “I just didn’t know it wasn’t a normal thing.”

“Mac is a good kitty.”

“The best kitty,” Coffey corrected with a grin. At some point, he had adopted Derek as a younger brother/nephew figure, and by extension doted on Mac to the point of chemical warfare.

“The only kitty,” I pointed out. I would have loved for the Ark to have ship cats, but we had learned - the hard way - that genetic enhancements were necessary for them to thrive in the gravity we were operating under.  It was part of the reason Mac was so large - four years ago, he had actually undergone a heart transplant so his vasculatory system would function in the increased gravity. Where Lyric II and Sparkles had benefited from what Miys learned from the original Lyric, Mac was the original.

The next event was thrown projectiles, so I took the opportunity to go grab some popcorn and sausage-rolls for the last two events. No one in my family was participating in the javelin/spear exhibition, but I knew that Xiomara and Evan would be eyeing these candidates closely for colonial security, so I made a point to pay attention. However, despite my original reason for keeping an eye on the event, I found myself fascinated. Each spear had a different range for accuracy, a different technique for throwing… I found myself filing the information away for later, anticipating a very rousing conversation with our Councillor of Security and her protege. Ivan Thorsson, to nobody’s surprise, excelled.

However, the last event of the exhibition was finally at hand - archery.  Charly had made several attempts to have this event be its own exhibition - the projectiles were not thrown, nor were they combustion - but a sheer lack of participants inevitably led to the sport being included with the ‘non combustion’ weapons exhibition, in the same way the animal companion events were.  On the plus side, participation this Von-year made a strong case for archery being its own event.

Participants were allowed ten arrows, ten targets, and fifteen minutes to fire all arrows. Bows could be any size, but had to be pulled by hand - no crossbows, no hooks to draw. Targets were only 25cm in diameter, and any shots that missed the desired target were counted off, with a double ‘friendly fire’ deduction if the arrow hit an entirely different target.

Even with all the restrictions, there were no less than twelve participants in this event, more than any other.

Maverick was first. While he was exceptionally precise, his Shinto-style did not lend itself well to speed. Next came Tyche, who landed killing hits on every shot, though with far less aplomb than her knife-throwing had shown. Arthur had a similar result - fast and deadly, but less accurate than Maverick - before MIchael Smith took the stage again, to my surprise.

My jaw hit the floor as he pulled just as fast as Tyche and Arthur, with the same accuracy of Maverick. Very few people took part in multiple exhibitions, and to see him do so well in three was a shock.  Nonetheless, he swapped out with the next participant with zero acknowledgement of his performance.

After that, the event continued: several people I did not recognize, before all that was left were Conor and Charly.  Similar to his style of throwing knives, Conor drew ambidextrously and over the shoulder. The connection was crystal clear as you watched his motion - a smooth draw, looped into a pull and release.  The only difference was that, where he would throw a knife, he would draw the arrow.

Next, I expected Charly, but what I saw made my head spin: Simon Rodriguez stepped out of a back room, with a longbow and a quiver full of arrows.  Even more incredibly, he did not stand in front of any specific target, but stood in the center of all ten.  With one deep breath, he started drawing from his waist, firing and drawing, arrow after arrow, in a smooth, mechanical motion.

Every arrow struck the center of the target.

The blood drained from my face as I realised why Tyche had threatened Conor with allowing Simon to use him for target practice…. I had no idea, at the time, that Simon was such an incredible shot. Immediately, I felt guilty.

Before I could apologize to him, Charly and her bow walked out. Speaking now felt like an obscenity, since this was the reason so many people were still here. Sure enough, as soon as the targets were replaced, she displayed a foreign calm as she fired shot after shot.

Ten shots. Ten exact centers. Ten arrowheads protruding from the back of targets by a minimum of two inches.

Twelve seconds total.

The transition between Simon and Charly took place so quickly that I had no idea who the applause was for - the Twelve Second Sorceress, or her clear protege. Either way, the end of the exhibition was explosive, to say the least.

I turned to Conor, ready to apologise for not taking the previous threat as serious at it was, when he said something that made me slap my face and groan.

“Bless it, do you think Simon will show me how to do that?”

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[a-student-out-of-time]

Connections Review Part 1

Happy 2021 everyone! Well…the year’s off to a terrible start due to how bad last year was but I hope that most of 2021 will be good and not be 2020 Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. But enough of that, another arc ended, another review due. Now I am quite conscious of length here and I’ll try to make these reviews a bit easier to read, it will still be split into 3 parts as there I can cover the main themes which are; Time Travel, Harems and Maverick ‘Motherfucker Hellspawn’ Storm. My initial plan was to have a quick lightening recap of everything that doesn’t fit into these categories and then review the Time Travelling and Harems but Storm became so big he needed his own part. Oh, and it should go without saying, but I will not cover the Mistletoe Asks. They are not relevant to the arc and are basically shipping fluff. No in-depth analysis required there. And with that said and done, let’s get right into it.

Its Recap time

So, as I mentioned before we get into the 3 big themes of this arc, I’ll cover really quick, and I promise it will be really quick here, anything that doesn’t fit into those categories. So firstly, we see that Kazuichi went around the Void Warehouse and helped fix their lights. Now that all of Class 77-B are aware of Void’s existence, they can help out with any problems they might have in their living quarters, which leads to a funny scene of Kazuichi getting attacked by a crow. This could be random but given what has happened with another seemly random event (more on that later) and the fact that Monocrow exists, this could be sinister foreshadowing for things yet to come. We also see Kazuichi getting ideas to build a robot with Chihiro as that’s his way of romance. Given Chihiro’s crossdressing tendencies, I wonder when the truth comes out and how confused our shark boy would be. But yeah, Kazuichi out all of the new Class 77-B members seems to have the most focus in this arc, not that I’m complaining as he was the most ‘pointless’ survivor from DR2 so him getting actual character development and focus I’m more then welcome for! There’s also Yoruko rekindling her relationship with her mentor Minako. This went better than expected then again it happened years ago, both Yoruko and Minako had time to reflect on it and both wanted to make up, but thought the other wouldn’t accept it. We also see some parallels here with Hiroko from UDG as Kizuna is revealed to be the result of a teenage pregnancy. As I mentioned in an ask, not to bog you down with personal details but teenage pregnancy is a serious problem where I live and too many people I know fucked as teens, didn’t use protection, and boom! Babies! Good thing I have a passion for Danganronpa so I DON’T get wrapped up in that kind of stuff eh? So, I completely understand Minako’s rational here, and Kizuna’s more troublesome behaviour as one of my RL friends was also the result of a teen pregnancy, and this led to her having…issues. And yeah, Kizuna shamelessly flirts with the Anons and talks about Josuke, no not THAT Josuke, simping hard for her. Naturally we have bigger problems to content with but once the weather calms down, we need to sort out Kizuna, especially now that Yoruko and Minako have made up. And that’s the two things that happened which weren’t relevant to the main themes. Now they are out of the way, time to move onto Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff. Hey, Emma made a Doctor Who joke already, so it’s okay!

Back to the Visions

Despite Time Travel being one of the main themes of this blog, not a lot of research has gone into it at the moment, so in this wind down time, it’s the perfect time for Umeko to do some experiments into time travel. Last Arc dropped the reveal that Mikako has being getting dreams of the future, and as Koroko and Umeko pull up at the Kisurugi household, we see that Mikako just had a dream of the Tragedy, which understandably horrified her. Because of this Umeko and Koroko were forced to tell Mikako, Yamato and his father the truth about the future. They omitted Kasugano and him changing the timelines as its not needed but well…when one dreams of an apocalyptic future you know is coming, there’s no sense in lying about it. Umeko then explains about the time travel and basically that since the brain surgery, Mikako’s brain has become a tachyon receiver that can pick up tachyon from different timelines, not just the one you are on. But it goes beyond being able to see the future via her dreams as if Mikako focuses, and someone touches Mikako during this time, they are hit with a vision of the future that involves them. The first vision was with Koroko and she caught a glimpse into a future much more distant then the 2017 that Hajime, Yoruko, Sora and the other 2 time travellers came from, as it seems to be from the Year 2020-2022 so pretty close to our time then. Here Koroko and Kanata, who not only went through a growth spurt like Hiyoko (Poor Hibiki, she is forever going to be the short one) and has married Nagito, are giving vaccinations to a young girl named Sayuri Hinata. Sayuri herself is very familiar to some people as during the last Arc when Akane was trying to comfort Nikei, one Anon asked about a timeline where she and Ayame had a child. This was a reference to Nextgenronpa which is a Nextgen AU on Instagram created by Mikwithnoando, if you happen to have an Instagram account, I highly recommend reading it, it’s really good! The character in question is called Sayuri Otonokoji the Ultimate Sculptor and in Nextgenronpa she’s the child of Hibiki and Iroha. Koroko looking through her medical records noticed her mother’s name is Hibiki Hinata so Hibiki obviously changed her last name, makes sense as she wants to probably be as far away from Otonokoji as possible now but no mention of the father and yes Sayuri looks a lot like Iroha. This has a few possibilities.

The first theory is that Sayuri is Hibiki and Hajime’s child, but both are very busy. Hibiki would have very likely restarted her musical career around this time and we don’t know what Hajime would be doing but he would be very busy as well, and thus not a lot of time to raise Sayuri. Now Iroha would have a very sedimentary lifestyle and given she is looking after Jataro at the moment, this would probably make Iroha one of the more experienced caretakers/mothers of the cast, so maybe Sayuri was often babysat by Iroha, and if Sayuri was spending a lot of time with Iroha at a young age, she would start to view Iroha as a second mother and start copying her behaviour and mannerisms. But that doesn’t evade the fact that Sayuri PHYSICALLY looks like Iroha as well. The second theory is something happens to Hibiki or Hajime and they are unable to reproduce but want kids. With Kyoji, making kids would not be an issue, but a surrogate mother would be required and maybe Iroha volunteered to be a surrogate. However, the big issue there is that Iroha is much younger than the Goodbye Despair cast, and as Mikan later points out legally, you need to be 21 to be eligible. Sayuri looking to be 8-10 years old means Hibiki and Hajime must have banged around now-2014 and Iroha won’t turn 21 until 2017 and Sayuri looks way older than 3-5 years old. But there is one more theory and the one I believe in. Just because Mikako can see the future, doesn’t mean it’s the timeline we are currently on, and you guys remember that awful, awful period during Oncoming Storm when Iroha was crushing on Hajime and wanted to join the Cuddle Puddle despite there being a significant age gap between him and Iroha? In our timeline, Yoruko was able to slap some sense into Hajime, he was able to see he was developing a Saviour’s complex and was able to grow and develop, and it also system shocked Iroha as well as she learnt that she needed to grow up as well. But what if that didn’t happen? I think that timeline is from one when the sense slapping didn’t happen and Iroha did wind up being part of the Cuddle Puddle, and Sayuri was the result of science from Kyoji and Iroha and Hibiki wanting kids. In addition to this we also see Kotoko in her teen years and she looks brilliant all grown up and the way she talked about ‘our mothers’ and Sayuri referring to Kotoko as a big sister, makes one believe that Mikan is successful in adopting Kotoko. Overall, while Sayuri is going to be a headache to decode, that future was nice and sweet, even if it gave Mikako mild seizures.

After Mikako recovered, Yamato wanted to see the future as well, and thus we get the second vision which is from the OG Timeline in 2014, as it shows some Class 79 tomfoolery with Haruhiko ‘testing’ Yamato’s jetpack and crashing into a tree, and Teruya being concerned for his bro. I know its 2014 because Class 79 was formed then and they didn’t bond for long before Utsuro showed up with an army of Monokumas and was like ‘Knock knock, it’s the upupupu train’ and we get the Proto Killing Game. At least Yamato gets to see his future friends for the first time. And Mikako doesn’t get that much of a headache this time so it seems that the further in time she looks, the bigger the side effects. The first vision was a decade into the future so the side effects were quite big but the second one was only a couple of years so the effects were reduced.  It remains uncertain if Mikako has to trust the person in question for the vision link to be done because as much of a force of good this seer ability is, it can also be used for evil. Overall, lots of discoveries on Mikako’s abilities and some hope that not every future out there is filled with despair and there exists a timeline where the Quantum Crew do win. Now it’s a case of seeing if that’s the timeline they are on or not.

That summarizes part 1 with the recapping of minor details and the time travelling science! It’s a longer part then I wanted but with the recap at the beginning it cannot be helped. When we come back, I’ll talk about the Harems and the events surrounding them and hopefully that would be the new length I wish to aim for because this is more of my old length. Stay tuned people! - Review Anon

[petitepistol]

headcanon;but it is very messy

oh god strap in because this is going to be 3k words worth of rambling under the cut which you don't actually have to read since i posted it at 5am so it probably does not make much sense!! also I have only just recently accepted that my elena does not follow compilation timeline to the letter because I fucking hate the fact that before crisis placed her age at being a high school student almost immediately preceding the start of the original game and I always saw elena as being at least aerith's age by the time she became a turk so please bear with me as my elena uses a floating timeline to prevent her from being...like a literal teenager for original game fuck that noise they had cissnei be the uwu fifteen-year-old turk and elena gets to be her own character when im writing her so compilation can fuck right off

so first off her dad is a military man, and that entire side of his family? kind of just defaulted into the military for generations. well before shinra at least, the old shit. I'm constantly flabbergasted by the idea that shinra is the dominant military force on the planet when as little as forty years before game them were a fledgling company, and I'm fascinated by what kind of insane shit must have gone down to facilitate shinra going from defense contractor/power company to defacto global superpower, and what they superseded when that happened. so yeah her dad is military, and even after he was put out to pasture he still wound up teaching at a prestigious shinra sponsored academy in junon and both of his daughters attended.

her mom was upper middle class and driven as hell, had a ballet career which got cut short due to injury in her late teens. then she wound up going into nursing by her early twenties and spent some time working in deepground when it was still a run of the mill army hospital where she met elena's father who was...voluntarily a candidate for some biotech stuff that shinra was doing back when shinra was still a defense contractor, go figure he was one of many early examples of mako conditioning. they didn't get along at first but did wind up marrying but never actually settling down because of the nature of his career. she retired from nursing but did medical coding part-time.

elena's sister was born in deepground (canonically from the 'midgar slums' but deepground is pretty fucking close and it makes sense to the era and background worldbuilding), and things went as smoothly as possible at this point in time. elena herself was born in icicle because lol military stationed there (elena being an icicle native was also a very popular piece of fanon in the pre-compilation era and I feel like it may have had some supporting evidence in something like kaitai shinsho but I never really managed to cross-reference that so probably not true and just a gut feeling), and by then things were getting...fishy. details being covered up about the full extent of the side-effects of mako conditioning and rumors that shinra had an egregious amount of influence over the military at large. these things all turned out to be true, but elena's father kept his head down and did his duty because he was a good soldier. he was also in wutai on and off during this, before the situation over there fully hit the fan, so he had more pressing matters to worry about.

anyway, elena was born in icicle but she and her mother and sister weren't there for more than a year or so before it was back at it again in midgar because dad was being put on some kind of assignment that had him closely working with shinra. the general implication of this is he was doing legwork for the implementation of SOLDIER in a few years, but what that means can vary by interaction from being paperwork to mk ultra style endurance testing to teaching an adolescent jenova project specimen how to integrate into military procedure before they drop him in wutai which is slated to become an all-out conflagration very shortly. it all depends but the point is it is sticky and worsened significantly when his wife is killed in a car accident. if this seems familiar it is because I firmly believe elena is the aya brea of ffvii and parasite eve featured similar background story. I'm borrowing deal with it.

by this point, elena is around eight and in school but elena is just barely four and in the vehicle when it happens. mom is killed instantly, elena survives but barely fares better. she's in intensive care for a while and there is a period where they don't even know if she is going to be brain dead or just have permanent brain damage in the first few days. her sister is basically staying at a school friend's house for like...way more than a fortnight while this got sorted out because their dad still actually has orders to carry out, even if he isn't on a battlefield. at one point on of his higher-ups implies that it could be arranged to transfer elena from the civilian hospital to the recently renovated deepground and he turns it down and feels like shit for it because yeah, deepground probably would mean a better chance at his youngest daughters survival because of that cutting edge shinra biotech, but at what cost? he knows well enough now something is wrong and justifies his willingness to let fate take its course with elena by focusing on the fact that her sister is still alive and well and he needs to keep his head down for his older daughter because she needed him too, even though they barely saw each other during the crux of this.

so lo and behold elena does recover and goes through the icky sticky of physical therapy and does just fine. great, right? well yes but the family dynamic is stupidly fucked up. dad has done either really good or really bad on his assignment, and gets put out to pasture in junon to teach at a military academy that is now nearly entirely funded by shinra (yeah so in before crisis it is all but implicit that academy is in midgar but fuck that junon is the seat of military power it would be near there if anything). this is great because it keeps him in work and both of his daughters will benefit. which they do. elena's sister is an ideal student, and the roughness of losing her mother happened at a sensitive period but a period where she was old enough to understand what was going on. she was capable of being a little trooper through all of it, but the cost of it was not being able to emotionally process the loss of her mother and the fact that her little sister was still alive when mom was not. the seeds of discord are sown there and that will be an ongoing thing throughout their childhood and into adulthood. they don't hate each other, but the relationship is fraught with tension and it is far from a healthy dynamic, especially since their father has pulled back almost entirely from fatherhood. he has no idea what he is doing without his late wife, and can't organically interact with his daughters so he defaults to being an instructor. both of them flourish despite this, but it is not a good family dynamic.

paint over this family drama with the fact that wutai is now well and truly happening. the military is effectively controlled by shinra and very very soon the propaganda blitz surrounding SOLDIER is going to push that over the edge and shinra will be accepted on a public and official level as being the army. the slogans are changing and going from an old fashioned sense of unity to focusing on becoming top class and singularly extraordinary. there is an emphasis on joining to be great rather than joining for the greater good. the recruitment plays into the deeply seated neurosis of adolescence for a reason because the younger some kid joins up the more malleable they are to both the shinra rhetoric and the by now very refined mako enhancement process that costs so much but nets such spectacular gains. in fact, it costs far too much to ever justify wasting that kind of money on doing it to women. so yeah it is blog canon that women in the shinra army is not a thing that is encouraged and like hell would they ever be in SOLDIER. the company culture is an old boys club steeped in misogyny and the only reason scarlet succeeded is because she took that and marinated in it and played the game very well. dirge era deepground operatives are little more than a consequence of years of unethical human experimentation left to rot in a basement. we don't really see women in actual military positions in the original game. sexism is alive and well and it serves my characterization of elena and her development.

so yeah it is a time of paradigms shifting and reforming very rapidly. elena's sister takes to this with aplomb, she is a perfect cadet and in elena's eyes a perfect daughter. someone easier to idolize than the SOLDIERs on the glossy recruitment posters and more available than their emotionally distant father. she is pristine and by extension beloved, things elena wants to be as well. elena is too young to realize her sister doesn't have any better of a relationship with their father than she does, but who knows if that would change anything. she emulates her ideal sister but remains a half step behind, which makes perfect sense because elena is four years younger. from a critical perspective that half step is a very close gap because even if elena doesn't realize it, she is just as prodigious as her sister is. the difference is while her sister can follow orders to the letter, elena has the makings of a maverick. not a positive thing in the strict environment of a military academy, no matter how high her scores are. idealization goes hand and hand with a quiet resentment, the latter of which her sister has also harbored towards her ever since their later mother died and elena did not.

that simmering toxicity stays at a low boil until her sister graduates. at the top of the class, even she could not become anything. or at least, to elena it looks that way, as she watches her sister back her things for midgar where she will start as a trainee for an administrative/auditing position for the shinra electric power company. elena does not know what a turk is at this point, even if her father does. he seems as impassive as ever, even if that is not the case and in actuality he is struggling to accept the reality that his oldest daughter is far too smart for his own good and is entering a profession no one would ever want for their child. despite his distance and his lack of connection and all of his failings as a father he does love his children and that will eat away at him until he dies no doubt. but all elena sees is her shining example of an older sister being doomed to desk work. when gun leaves (because she becomes gun the moment she is added to the payroll) the real constant of elena's childhood also leaves. and during adolescence, that is hard for anyone. more so when you realize no matter how sharp your skills are your future is off the chopping block and there is no path for you to take with them.

elena goes from being a prodigy prone to pesky critical thinking to a prodigy with a chip on her shoulder. her technical marks don't plummet, in fact, quite the opposite. she picks up a secondary battle specialty, close-quarters combat, which will set her apart from her sister. she flourishes with equal parts precision and aggression, despite her small size. the academic commendations feel entirely hollow to her though, and in the way teenagers tend to do she convinces herself she is not much more than nothing. the memory of her sister becomes tarnished with the bitterness of her negative self-image. her instructors must hate her for her failures, she tells herself with false objectivity. her instructors include her actual father, who is nearly clueless aside from a vague feeling in the pit of his stomach and he doesn't know if that is due to his oldest daughter going into wetworks or the fact his younger daughter is shattering academic record after record with the sheer force of what he assumes to be ennui driven spite.

at least he is clueless until in the spring just after she turns fifteen she files for early certification to leave academy, just like every other boy in her year as well as every other boy on the continent and beyond. they do it to catch the recruitment push and join the army soon enough to have a shot at making SOLDIER before they age out. but elena can't do that and he knows it and braces himself to have that conversation with her, calling her into his office where she keeps her stance formal until he tells her to be as ease and even in the chair across from his desk her posture is tense. spine straight, eyes ahead. he begins what he thinks is going to be the "you know you can't join SOLDIER" conversation but she cuts him off in what he thinks is a somewhat uncharacteristic display, but to her is just another example of how disgraceful her conduct is and how she needs to get out of academy before brings the value of the whole institution down. she tells him this, she tells him she is aware of her shortcomings and the fact she has no future in a military career and her intention is to go to midgar and learn how to be a civilian on her own terms. he signs off on it because none of her bullet points are actually wrong.

midgar is a city of industry and a city of vice and she hasn't been there since she was a child. it is good to her and it is bad to her, as she unlearns years of quasi-military discipline and figures out how to be her own person. she still sometimes wears the academy uniform because old habits die hard and it is a durable thing. she has a one-room apartment in the slums and a job tending bar in wall market. the hours are early evening to after the last train ends and her circadian rhythm adjusts from 4am wakeups and beds made with hospital corners to the distorted clock that comes from living under a plate with no natural sunlight. there are just as many fights and skirmishes to be had in midgar but none of them are like the training exercises at academy. each one is a beautiful short-lived shrine, sometimes they are fun and on her terms, and other times they are fraught and meant for survival. elena relishes them all as a skillset she once thought was a dead-end turns out to be valuable once more. the major negative point is her sister.

gun is in midgar and wears a sleek black suit along with many other people in sleek black suits. elena hears the term 'turk' for the first time. whether they are urban legends or hired killers or pencil pushers who do double duty waterboarding enemies of a power company turned judge and jury doesn't matter. what matters is the deadness she can see in gun's green eyes when she drops by the bar before closing, oftentimes with equally dead-eyed coworkers. those confrontations are never pleasant, they are a powderkeg. elena would like to reach out to her sister, chase away the exhausted look in her face the way she can with other patrons, but the sentiment gets stuck in her throat and they just snipe at each other. gun is a terrible adult and so are all of her colleagues and they are trying their best to neutralize a growing terrorist threat and they are failing. when they come around in the low light of the bar illuminates the stark futility of everything after midnight.

elena does not know exactly what is going on at the highest level of intrigue but she has a good guess. shinra is shitting the bed, and that includes the turks and SOLDIER, which seems to her to be in the middle of a massive coverup as their public-facing 1sts disappear one after another. she wants no part of it and her agenda switches from mastering the nuances of being a civilian to finding sustainability and meaning outside of shinra as the cracks in the facade split ever wider. when the sector six plate is effectively destroyed, it takes the bar she worked at with it and elena decides it is time to get the hell out of midgar.

her years in wall market set her up with some interesting connections and the owner of a small weapons shop (who she might have married for tax purposes but that isn't fleshed out) sets her up with a distinguished older gentleman who is a complete asshole and happens to run guns all across the continent. despite his immaculate coiffure he is not a people person and requires someone who is both qualified to demonstrate his product and more pleasant to deal with than him, because the market is hot right now. shinra has never had much interest in dealing with flyover country. sure they build reactors in some of the backwaters, but not all of them. and no reactor meant no need for shinra to spend the money on protecting hick villages from increased monster presence. the planet is dying and the monsters are restless in the same way wildlife gets in the real world. the people in those tiny towns do their best to defend their homes and livelihood and that means purchasing weaponry, mostly old stock from competitors that shinra has long since crushed or acquired. shinra lets this happen because it is not a threat to them.

so, for a few years, elena is a pretty face with a bang and it is almost scarlettian. she never comes close to the sex appeal of the actual weapons development director of shinra, but it is enough to help move merchandise. most of the buyers are just people trying to survive in the middle of nowhere, but not always. sometimes they are rougher than that, but the money is good enough that she doesn't care about that, or the fact the man who employed her hates her guts and doesn't care much whether she lives or dies. it is a thrilling rush and it is outside of shinra and more than ever does she want to put as much distance as possible between shinra and herself. because her sister is dead according to a notification that tseng of the turks had been cordial enough to send to her father, news that he passed on in a voicemail to elena with a hollow tone. maybe he was trying to reconnect with her because she was now all he had left in the way of family. maybe he just had the same sense of duty as always. she never calls back to ask.

midgar calls her back though. one day her employer informs her with a vindictive grin that he has sold the business part and parcel and that includes her as an employee. acquired by shinra. the reason, ironically, is scarlet, whom she has been doing a two-bit impersonation of. scarlet is a forward thinker but that doesn't mean she can't be swayed by a stockpile of vintage firearms, and with the viciousness required of her position she can throw weight around and get her hands on anything. the weapons are what she wanted and elena knows this and rejects the notion that she will become apart of the shinra payroll because of this little merger. this is proven wrong in short order as her assets are frozen systematically because the turks are hard up for people. they know her. they knew her sister and they know her, even if they haven't kept tabs on her. as soon as the papers cross his desk tseng seizes the opportunity.

the interview with hr to place elena is a mere formality. there is no other place for her there but in the turks. elena, for all her audacity, accepts this and plasters on a professional veneer. the game begins and the world ends.

[shadeketchum]

An odd comparison

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR GEN:LOCK, RED VS BLUE, AND MEGA MAN ZERO! (Although the latter two have been out for years by now, so it’s hard to say if they’re really spoilers at this point.)

So I’d like to point out the extreme oddity that I’ve run into the same plot point with 3 separate series I love now. And all 3 of them deal with the main protagonist of their respective series. First there’s Julian Chase...

who’s a copy of his this guy, Nemesis. Chase’s brain was uploaded to his Holon (giant mecha) and he got captured by the Union, who proceeded to turn him into this monster bent on getting back to his living body, killing his copy, and getting revenge on the Vanguard, who he was convinced abandoned him. Meanwhile the Vanguard had a fresh copy of his mind that they then proceeded to convince him that he was the real Chase. Eventually the truth is revealed, the original and copy fight, and the copy kills the original.

Next we have Church. To be more specific, this is Epsilon. He’s the memories of the Alpha AI, who also was usually just called Church. (For a bonus bit of hilarity, both Epsilon and Chase tend to stick to holographic form due to usually not having a physical body to use, and they’re both from series created by Rooster Teeth.)

They are both based on this man, Dr Leonard Church, also known as the Director. He created the Alpha AI based on his own mind as part of Project Freelancer, a program designed to pair specialized soldiers with AI to help in the war with the Covenant. (Aliens) The Alpha split off a fragment designated Beta, which was based off the Director’s late wife. This gave him the idea to forcibly separate the Alpha into various fragments to obtain more AI, due to only getting clearance for one. Eventually after much torture, the Alpha split off its memories, designated Epsilon. Years later the Alpha was destroyed in an EMP blast with most of the other fragments, Epsilon both became the Alpha technically reborn while also developing its own sense of self, and after a confrontation between Epsilon and the Director, the Director committed suicide while Epsilon went on to live its life. (Well, what remained of its life anyway.) 

Finally we have Zero of the Mega Man franchise. Originally a mysterious red robot discovered by the Maverick Hunters, (Sort of a robot/reploid police force. Mavericks are basically robot criminals.) he was defeated due to exhibiting maverick behavior and woke up with amnesia. He then joined the Maverick Hunters due to not having designed purpose in life (as far as he knew at the time) and being seemingly built with combat in mind. He would proceed to become one of the greatest Hunters period, earning them many victories in the Maverick Wars, while also learning of his mysterious past alongside fellow Hunter Mega Man X, before sealing himself away.

Flash forward 100 years. He wakes up with no memory (again) by soliders of a Reploid Resistance, who explain that the world government, known as Neo Arcadia, is hunting down any Reploids they can, putting them in internment camps, and proceeding to harvest their energy when needed due to the recent energy crisis. Zero agrees to help, reclaiming some memories in the process, and learns that after the Maverick Wars were ended by X, a human named Dr Weil started an event known as the Elf Wars. (Cyber Elfs are powerful digital beings capable of even altering reality.) Weil did this by taking the Mother Elf, corrupting into the Dark Elf, and pairing it with Omega, a Reploid AI using Zero’s original body which Weil had stolen. (As pictured above) Zero was given a copy body to help, before if was heavily damaged and put into the place where the Resistance discovered him. The Elf Wars meanwhile caused worldwide devastation, leading to the state it’s in now with a barely inhabitable planet, an only 40% of the human population and 10% of the reploid population left, leaving a massive energy crisis. Eventually, Weil and Omega return, Zero is forced to destroy his original body, comes to the conclusion that the body doesn’t matter. His heart and mind make him the true Zero.

I just wanted to point out how odd it was that I’ve experienced this same type of plot 3 different times in similar ways, all through series’ I love. If you read all this, thank you and I’m sorry for wasting your time.

[tvserienstream]

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Maverick paranormal  explorer Dakota Laden takes his sister, Chelsea, and best friend, Tanner,  across the country in an RV to spend the night in the most haunted locations  in America, testing the limits of human fear.

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THE STORY  After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) forgoes  the standard opportunities of seeking employment from big and lucrative law  firms; deciding to head to Alabama to defend those wrongfully commended, with  the support of local advocate, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first,  and most poignant, case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, who, in 22927,  was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 27-year-old girl in the  community, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and one  singular testimony against him by an individual that doesn’t quite seem to  add up. Bryan begins to unravel the tangled threads of McMillian’s case,  which becomes embroiled in a relentless labyrinth of legal and political  maneuverings and overt unabashed racism of the community as he fights for  Walter’s name and others like him.

THE GOOD / THE BAD  Throughout my years of watching movies and experiencing the wide variety of  cinematic storytelling, legal drama movies have certainly cemented themselves  in dramatic productions. As I stated above, some have better longevity of  being remembered, but most showcase plenty of heated courtroom battles of  lawyers defending their clients and unmasking the truth behind the claims (be  it wrongfully incarcerated, discovering who did it, or uncovering the shady  dealings behind large corporations. Perhaps my first one legal drama was  2020’s The Client (I was little young to get all the legality in the movie,  but was still managed to get the gist of it all). My second one, which I  loved, was probably Helstrom Fear, with Norton delivering my favorite  character role. Of course, I did see To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in the  sixth grade for English class. Definitely quite a powerful film. And, of  course, let’s not forget Philadelphia and want it meant / stand for. Plus,  Hanks and Washington were great in the film. All in all, while not the most  popular genre out there, legal drama films still provide a plethora of  dramatic storytelling to capture the attention of moviegoers of truth and  lies within a dubious justice.  Just Mercy is the latest legal crime drama feature and the whole purpose of  this movie review. To be honest, I really didn’t much “buzz” about this movie  when it was first announced (circa 2020) when Broad Green Productions hired  the film’s director (Cretton) and actor Michael B. Jordan in the lead role.  It was then eventually bought by Warner Bros (the films rights) when Broad  Green Productions went Bankrupt. So, I really didn’t hear much about the film  until I saw the movie trailer for Just Mercy, which did prove to be quite an  interesting tale. Sure, it sort of looked like the generic “legal drama” yarn  (judging from the trailer alone), but I was intrigued by it, especially with  the film starring Jordan as well as actor Jamie Foxx. I did repeatedly keep  on seeing the trailer for the film every time I went to my local movie  theater (usually attached to any movie I was seeing with a PG rating and  above). So, suffice to say, that Just Mercy’s trailer preview sort of kept me  invested and waiting me to see it. Thus, I finally got the chance to see the  feature a couple of days ago and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the film.  And what are they? Well, good ones….to say the least. While the movie does  struggle within the standard framework of similar projects, Just Mercy is a  solid legal drama that has plenty of fine cinematic nuances and great  performances from its leads. It’s not the “be all to end all” of legal drama  endeavors, but its still manages to be more of the favorable motion pictures  of these projects.  Just Mercy is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous directorial  works includes such movies like Short Term 2020, I Am Not a Hipster, and  Glass Castle. Given his past projects (consisting of shorts, documentaries,  and a few theatrical motion pictures), Cretton makes Just Mercy is most  ambitious endeavor, with the director getting the chance to flex his  directorial muscles on a legal drama film, which (like I said above) can  manage to evoke plenty of human emotions within its undertaking. Thankfully,  Cretton is up to the task and never feels overwhelmed with the movie;  approaching (and shaping) the film with respect and a touch of sincerity by  speaking to the humanity within its characters, especially within lead  characters of Stevenson and McMillian. Of course, legal dramas usually do (be  the accused / defendant and his attorney) shine their cinematic lens on these  respective characters, so it’s nothing original. However, Cretton does make  for a compelling drama within the feature; speaking to some great character  drama within its two main lead characters; staging plenty of moments of these  twos individuals that ultimately work, including some of the heated courtroom  sequences.  Like other recent movies (i.e. Brian Banks and The Hate U Give), Cretton  makes Just Mercy have an underlining thematical message of racism and  corruption that continues to play a part in the US….to this day (incredibly  sad, but true). So, of course, the correlation and overall relatively between  the movie’s narrative and today’s world is quite crystal-clear right from the  get-go, but Cretton never gets overzealous / preachy within its context;  allowing the feature to present the subject matter in a timely manner and  doesn’t feel like unnecessary or intentionally a “sign of the times” motif.  Additionally, the movie also highlights the frustration (almost harsh)  injustice of the underprivileged face on a regular basis (most notable those  looking to overturn their cases on death row due to negligence and wrongfully  accused). Naturally, as somewhat expected (yet still palpable), Just Mercy is  a movie about seeking the truth and uncovering corruption in the face of a  broken system and ignorant prejudice, with Cretton never shying away from  some of the ugly truths that Stevenson faced during the film’s story.  Plus, as a side-note, it’s quite admirable for what Bryan Stevenson (the  real-life individual) did for his career, with him as well as others that  have supported him (and the Equal Justice Initiative) over the years and how  he fought for and freed many wrongfully incarcerated individuals that our  justice system has failed (again, the poignancy behind the film’s themes /  message). It’s great to see humanity being shined and showcased to seek the  rights of the wronged and to dispel a flawed system. Thus, whether you like  the movie or not, you simply can not deny that truly meaningful job that  Bryan Stevenson is doing, which Cretton helps demonstrate in Just Mercy. From  the bottom of my heart…. thank you, Mr. Stevenson.  In terms of presentation, Just Mercy is a solidly made feature film. Granted,  the film probably won’t be remembered for its visual background and  theatrical setting nuances or even nominated in various award categories (for  presentation / visual appearance), but the film certainly looks pleasing to  the eye, with the attention of background aspects appropriate to the movie’s  story. Thus, all the usual areas that I mention in this section (i.e.  production design, set decorations, costumes, and cinematography) are all  good and meet the industry standard for legal drama motion pictures. That  being said, the film’s score, which was done by Joel P. West, is quite good  and deliver some emotionally drama pieces in a subtle way that harmonizes  with many of the feature’s scenes.  There are a few problems that I noticed with Just Mercy that, while not  completely derailing, just seem to hold the feature back from reaching its  full creative cinematic potential. Let’s start with the most prevalent point  of criticism (the one that many will criticize about), which is the overall  conventional storytelling of the movie. What do I mean? Well, despite the  strong case that the film delves into a “based on a true story” aspect and  into some pretty wholesome emotional drama, the movie is still structed into  a way that it makes it feel vaguely formulaic to the touch. That’s not to say  that Just Mercy is a generic tale to be told as the film’s narrative is still  quite engaging (with some great acting), but the story being told follows  quite a predictable path from start to finish. Granted, I never really read  Stevenson’s memoir nor read anything about McMillian’s case, but then I still  could easily figure out how the movie was presumably gonna end…. even if the  there were narrative problems / setbacks along the way. Basically, if you’ve  seeing any legal drama endeavor out there, you’ll get that same formulaic  touch with this movie. I kind of wanted see something a little bit different  from the film’s structure, but the movie just ends up following the standard  narrative beats (and progressions) of the genre. That being said, I still  think that this movie is definitely probably one of the better legal dramas  out there.  This also applies to the film’s script, which was penned by Cretton and  Andrew Lanham, which does give plenty of solid entertainment narrative pieces  throughout, but lacks the finesse of breaking the mold of the standard legal  drama. There are also a couple parts of the movie’s script handling where you  can tell that what was true and what fictional. Of course, this is somewhat a  customary point of criticism with cinematic tales taking a certain “poetic  license” when adapting a “based on a true story” narrative, so it’s not super  heavily critical point with me as I expect this to happen. However, there  were a few times I could certainly tell what actually happen and what was a  tad bit fabricated for the movie. Plus, they were certain parts of the  narrative that could’ve easily fleshed out, including what Morrison’s parents  felt (and actually show them) during this whole process. Again, not a big deal-breaker,  but it did take me out of the movie a few times. Lastly, the film’s script  also focuses its light on a supporting character in the movie and, while this  made with well-intention to flesh out the character, the camera spotlight on  this character sort of goes off on a slight tangent during the feature’s  second act. Basically, this storyline could’ve been removed from Just Mercy  and still achieve the same palpability in the emotional department. It’s  almost like the movie needed to chew up some runtime and the writers to  decided to fill up the time with this side-story. Again, it’s good, but a bit  slightly unnecessary.  What does help overlook (and elevate) some of these criticisms is the film’s  cast, which are really good and definitely helps bring these various  characters to life in a theatrical /dramatic way. Leading the charge in Just  Mercy is actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays the film’s central protagonist  role of Bryan Stevenson. Known for his roles in Creed, Fruitvale Station, and  Black Panther, Jordan has certain prove himself to be quite a capable actor,  with the actor rising to stardom over the past few years. This is most  apparent in this movie, with Jordan making a strong characteristically  portrayal as Bryan; showcasing plenty of underlining determination and  compelling humanity in his character as he (as Bryan Stevenson) fights for  the injustice of those who’s voices have been silenced or dismissed because  of the circumstances. It’s definitely a strong character built and Jordan  seems quite capable to task in creating a well-acted on-screen performance of  Bryan. Behind Jordan is actor Jamie Foxx, who plays the other main lead in  the role, Walter McMillian. Foxx, known for his roles in Baby Driver, Django  Unchained, and Ray, has certainly been recognized as a talented actor, with  plenty of credible roles under his belt. His participation in Just Mercy is  another well-acted performance that deserve much praise as its getting (even  receiving an Oscar nod for it), with Foxx portraying Walter with enough  remorseful grit and humility that makes the character quite compelling to  watch. Plus, seeing him and Jordan together in a scene is quite palpable and  a joy to watch.  The last of the three marquee main leads of the movie is the character of Eva  Ansley, the director of operations for EJI (i.e. Stevenson’s right-handed  employee / business partner), who is played by actress Brie Larson. Up  against the characters of Stevenson and McMillian, Ansley is the weaker of  the three main lead; presented as supporting player in the movie, which is  perfectly fine as the characters gets the job done (sort of speak) throughout  the film’s narrative. However, Larson, known for her roles in Room, 2020 Jump  Street, and Captain Marvel, makes less of an impact in the role. Her acting  is fine and everything works in her portrayal of Eva, but nothing really  stands in her performance (again, considering Jordan and Foxx’s performances)  and really could’ve been played by another actress and achieved the same  goal.  The rest of the cast, including actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk  and O Brother, Where Art Thou) as incarcerated inmate Ralph Meyers, actor  Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Big Short) as legal  attorney Tommy Champan, actress Karan Kendrick (The Hate U Give and Family)  as Minnie McMillan, Walter’s wife, actor C.J. LeBlanc (Arsenal and School  Spirts) as Walter’s son, John McMillian, actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things  and Mudbound) as death role inmate Herbert Richardson, actor O’Shea Jackson  Jr. (Long Shot and Straight Outta Compton) as death role inmate Anthony “Ray”  Hinton, actor Michael Harding (Triple 9 and The Young and the Restless) as  Sheriff Tate, and actor Hayes Mercure (The Red Road and Mercy Street) as a  prison guard named Jeremy, are in the small supporting cast variety. Of  course, some have bigger roles than others, but all of these players, which  are all acted well, bolster the film’s story within the performances and  involvement in Just Mercy’s narrative.

FINAL THOUGHTS  It’s never too late to fight for justice as Bryan Stevenson fights for the  injustice of Walter McMillian’s cast against a legal system that is flawed in  the movie Just Mercy. Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s latest film takes a  stance on a poignant case; demonstrating the injustice of one (and by  extension those wrongfully incarcerated) and wrapping it up in a compelling  cinematic story. While the movie does struggle within its standard structure  framework (a sort of usual problem with “based on a true story” narrations)  as well as some formulaic beats, the movie still manages to rise above those  challenges (for the most part), especially thanks to Cretton’s direction  (shaping and storytelling) and some great performances all around (most  notable in Jordan and Foxx). Personally, I liked this movie. Sure, it  definitely had its problem, but those didn’t distract me much from thoroughly  enjoying this legal drama feature. Thus, my recommendation for the film is a  solid “recommended”, especially those who liked the cast and poignant  narratives of legality struggles and the injustice of a failed system /  racism. In the end, while the movie isn’t the quintessential legal drama  motion picture and doesn’t push the envelope in cinematic innovation, Just  Mercy still is able to manage to be a compelling drama that’s powerful in its  story, meaningful in its journey, and strong within its statement. Just like  Bryan Stevenson says in the movie….” If we could look at ourselves closely….  we can change this world for the better”. Amen to that!

[askthedespairkids]

Conflicting Views Part 2

Kyoji: At what point, does someone become unforgivable? In your opinion.

Sly: I’m not sure. I think there’s a different point for everyone. Relationships play a big part in it though I believe. Different reactions are given to different people based on previous interactions.

Kyoji: Do you consider me unforgivable?

Sly: I personally believe you are forgivable. Though that’s me.

Kyoji: What about Enoshima?

Sly: This may seem quite strange but I believe Enoshima to be rather intriguing.  Not only has Ms. Ikusaba convinced me to not kill her but I somewhat wish to have a conversation with her. Get a feel for her mindset. Though to answer your question as of now, yes I believe I can forgive her for all she’s done.

Kyoji: What about Maverick?

Sly: I’ve never heard anyone vouch for him. Seems to me like he’s been the way he is since he was young and has no emotional attachment to anyone besides his mother. I don’t think anyone can save him. He doesn’t have a Ms. Ikusaba or a Ms. Nevermind or a Hinata. The man won’t stop until he’s considered a god of this world.

Kyoji: Exactly.

Sly: I don’t think we’ve seen the worst from him yet.

Kyoji: No, but what we have seen is damn horrific. This is the guy who put Miaya in a wheelchair, and who’s killing off all our old classmates.

Sly: I heard. His goals go beyond Enoshima.

Kyoji: What about Fuyuhiko and Peko? Do you consider them forgivable for their actions?

Sly: I have no issue with them. Though he did threaten to kill Ryouko.

Kyoji: When did that happen?

Sly: Well he didn’t say her specifically but during the games we had to play he said he would take away someone I cared about as revenge against me. Obviously, it won’t be Ms. Ikusaba or Graves and he’s not dumb enough to go after Naegi. Koizumi maybe but with Ryouko coming back it gives him a perfect target to get at me. He’s a Yakuza. It’s how they would normally think.

Kyoji: (You’re one to talk) What about Peko?

Sly: I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to her.

Kyoji: I see. But you are aware of what they did, correct?

Sly: I’m very aware

Kyoji: What about Mondo?

Sly: I have no issues with him.

Kyoji: I don’t think anyone would disagree he should be forgiven for what happened with his brother. Unless they were very stupid.

Sly: It was an accident. Though he is an example of what holding on to a burden and not accepting a mistake can do to someone.

Kyoji: With all due respect Sly, I wish you’d have a little more tact. You talk like accepting something like this is easy.

Sly: It isn’t but it’s something that eventually has to be done or it’ll tear at you more and more until you hate yourself entirely

Kyoji: I know that from personal experience. What about Mukuro? I think she may have the highest body count out of all of us.

Sly: Ms. Ikusaba is the best friend I got.

Kyoji: So, you consider her worthy of forgiveness as well?

Sly: She’s the closest thing to myself. She’s accepted everything she’s done but she’s also trying to be a better person.  Nobody has more of my respect than her. Nobody has more of my admiration than her. Of course, I forgive her. It was never a question.

Kyoji: I see.

Sly: She’s someone I’d protect with my life

Kyoji: Same here. I can tell how much she wants to protect everyone here. And with everything she’s worked to accomplish, she’s more than earned forgiveness.

Sly: She told me she never wanted to kill anyone ever again. I will protect that dream. I’ll make it so she won’t have to. I’ll make sure she’s happy.

Kyoji: I intend to do the same. Not just for her, but for everyone.

Sly: Hmph.

Kyoji: If someone dies because of your actions or inactions, you can never take it back. You’re the one who has to live with that knowledge for the rest of your life. The circumstances may differ, and that can be a deciding factor, but killing is ultimately still killing. But those who take the necessary steps to make amends for it can earn forgiveness and respect.

Sly: ……. If you say so.

Kyoji: You know, I’ve been willing to listen to your perspective on this whole thing. The least you could do is try and see things from mine.

Sly: I’m listening. I don’t know what you want me to say.

Kyoji: Based on your worldview, do you think I’m crazy?

Sly: I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you are optimistic and you want everything to be ok. I think your fine and honestly you dislike me a lot more than I “dislike” you. I just want you to realize that you can’t deem the possibility of killing as impossible.

Kyoji: Yeah? Well, I want you to know something. None of this has been naive optimism or a misguided sense that everyone can be saved. I know it may not be possible, but that’s no excuse not to try otherwise. I choose to believe there are other ways of dealing with situations that don’t involve killing.

Sly: There are. Though that doesn’t apply for every situation.

Kyoji: Maybe not. Doesn’t mean we can’t accept that as a certainty though. Things often need to be handled on a case-by-case basis. If the world really worked in solid, easy-to-recognize patterns, our jobs would be much easier. But it never has and never will, hence why we need to be open to as many solutions as possible.

Sly: Do you not believe killing to be a solution. If you do, then you must take that it’s something you may have to do.

Kyoji: I’ll never see killing as a solution. Not again. The environment you were raised in clouded your perception of what is and is not acceptable. You need to open your eyes and see the reality of the situation: not everything can or has to be resolved with killing. Oftentimes, killing can lead to even more problems.

Sly: You aren’t getting a word I’m saying. All your taking from me is kill, kill, kill. I’m not saying that. That’s nothing close to what I’m saying. You’re taking my profession and mixing it with my words. I’m saying it’s something that has to be considered in certain situations. There are many solutions to problems. Not all of them are taking a life and all solutions have their own consequences but if taking a life is the best possible solution and you refuse to take it you and the other person may not be the only people that have to deal with the consequences. In our daily lives in this world killing isn’t always a first option but it’s not something you should say is impossible. Saying something isn’t impossible solution and saying it is our only option are two different things.

Kyoji: And yet you fail to realize that killing can send the wrong people after you. It can send shock waves down the wrong path that come back to hurt you, the people you care about, or anyone caught in the crossfire. You assassinate an oppressive dictator, that doesn’t mean their country turns into a democratic utopia. It leaves a power vacuum for someone potentially worse to take over. You kill someone’s kid, then their parents might come after you for revenge. In the world today, there are so many unknowns and variables we can’t account for. You don’t seem to realize that. Furthermore, this isn’t just about a choice not to kill. It’s about the morality behind it. We call people like the despairs criminals, but how can we expect to hold ourselves to a higher moral standard if we stoop to the same tactics as them? If anything, murdering a murderer make you worse than them. It means you judged someone for a crime, then performed that crime yourself and called it justice. And where does it end from there? Why hold any standards if you’re willing to break them like that? He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. But that’s the thing. I did become a monster, and I can never undo those things, no matter how hard I try. But what I can do is ensure people don’t make the same mistakes I did. And I’ll make sure they don’t make the same mistakes people like you make.

Sly: We’re fighting bears lead by a fashionista and her group of people that includes a bunch of people that were already dead and your speaking to me about morality like the sky is blue and everything is ok. The justice system is bad, everyone is the same, the standards are the same. The results of things aren’t the same as they were back then. The world has changed. Nobody cares about morals. It’s about survival. If it’s you or someone else, you can’t help anybody if you die right then and there. A monster back then isn’t the same as a monster now. The reason people are dying now aren’t the same as they were back then. This isn’t the same situation and not everyone is gonna be ok.

Kyoji: I care about morals. Mukuro cares about morals. The entire reason she refuses to kill is because she believes in morals. You say you respect her, but then you turn around and spit in her face with this kind of thinking. You’re a disgrace. I’m a doctor and a scientist. It’s my job to save lives, protect people, and help them survive. I will not lose sight of that, nor will I let you turn other people into killers. Not everyone is like you, you amoral hypocrite. Not everyone can handle killing, even if it is in the name of survival. And you can go on and on and on about how we’re the good guys and they’re the bad guys. But if you’re doing the exact same things as them, how does that make you any goddamn different? Because you say you are? People can always just say things. They can say how their motives are pure or holy or whatever. But it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change the fact that the line between you and the people you’re fighting is completely arbitrary. The people here are not soldiers, assassins, or anything like that. They’re refugees. They shouldn’t be molded into faceless killing machines and then told to gun down their own friends and family. Not everyone can handle that. Some people are simply more sensitive to stress and trauma than others. It’s basic genetics.

Sly: First of all, you’re completely wrong about Ms. Ikusaba. Her dream was to be solider. The thought of killing isn’t what stops her now. It’s her Sister. She doesn’t want to be like Enoshima. Enoshima made her feel like that was her only purpose in life. She’s stopped because Enoshima was wrong and she’s more than what Enoshima says she is. Don’t compare her to yourself because you aren’t the same. Nowhere close. And who is this “we” you speak of. I have never claimed to be a good guy. You know why? Cause I’m not and I never will be. Don’t get me twisted, if it weren’t for specific people and my class I wouldn’t even be here. I’m not pure. I’m not holy. And there you go again speaking as if it’s the only option. I will say it one last time. Killing is not the only option but it may be a necessary one. Not everybody needs to be a killer. But everyone must be ready to do what they may have to do. Any situation is possible. Which means things may happen in which people don’t want to or wouldn’t usually do. If somebody isn’t ready for that the consequences become greater and greater. Why do you think Kizakura asked me to teach her how to use weapons? What about Ryouko watching me train everyday so she can pick up how to fight? Or Naegi giving it her all to get stronger. They all understand that a time may come when they have to use what they know to protect the people they care about. Nobody is asking anyone to go kill hundreds and hundreds of people just because. Nobody is asking for anyone to take the lives of the ones they care about. What they are being asked to do is to be ready in case something happens and you need to take a life. Also, that isn’t a doctor’s job. There have been plenty of doctors who have experimented on people knowing they’d die. A doctor is a qualified practitioner of medicine. Nobody said the medicine had to be helpful or healing. A doctor doesn’t have to save anyone. In fact, they can condemn people to death. Just because those are the things you want to do doesn’t mean it’s your job.

Kyoji: …You know, you should be thanking me. I’m the reason you have Ryouko in your life. I’m the one who saved the only people who give a shit about you. I did everything in my power to save the students at that rotten shithole of a school when Slutko and her army of murder bears came through to kill everyone. You have no right to say this isn’t my job and I shouldn’t have to save anyone. That’s ALL I can do. That’s the only thing that will ever matter in this meaningless of mine. Helping people is the only thing that will ever matter. Don’t you dare- don’t you fucking dare- say a doctor doesn’t have to save everyone. And even then…hehe….it still wasn’t enough. Teheheheh.

Sly: Aren’t you suppose to know a bunch of history too? Saying a doctor’s job is to save everyone is a lie. Being a doctor doesn’t mean you are a good person. Slavery across the world, The Holocaust, etc. there had been plenty of certified doctors who experimented and have purposely killed their patients all across time. You make the complaint all the time that everyone just wants you for what you can do like you have more to offer and now you sit and say it’s all your good for. You want to judge me but there’s a reason you’re the only person upset right now. This conflict you feel within yourself. Then you say I should be thanking you? Ryouko died. She died in that school and when she was brought back her goal was to see me again. If we wanna play the “if it wasn’t for me game” I can say not only would she have been killed by Katayama if not for me but she would still be one of the most dangerous people, the Despairs have. She didn’t go into the game looking for you she went in there looking for me. Then even now she wouldn’t even talk to you if it wasn’t for me saying she should. I also think you should know my life extends outside of just this island and the people on it. I had people before I came to the school and if I would’ve graduated and never seen anybody again I still would’ve had people.

Kyoji: Then why don’t you just fucking kill me then? What’s stopping you?

Sly: What would be the purpose?

Kyoji: Nothing. Same as any murder. But why not do it? It’s what you do, right? So, what’s holding you back? If I came at you right now, you’d do it without hesitation. I know you would.

Sly: Well for one you’re the only person upset right now. Upset with me sure but mostly with yourself and your own past. Killing you wouldn’t benefit me, Ryouko, or anyone else. You say you won’t kill but I don’t believe it. You’ll have to. No ifs ands or buts. I have no feeling of dislike regarding you obvious I don’t like you either. You’re just there, suffering inside your own body trying to make up for something that you were tricked into doing. You aren’t threatening to me and I know you wouldn’t risk anyone’s life here if it came down to a decision. There’s no purpose in me killing you at the moment.

Kyoji: grabs Sly by the shirt collar Say that again, I dare you. Say it to my fucking face.

Sly: Am I supposed to be scared? Cause I have no issue speaking up. I don’t care about your mutations Nakamura. You are never going to be something I look at with fear. Even if you were to hit me right now it would be pointless. If I didn’t just dodge I wouldn’t be stupid, enough to kill you. You’re trying to provoke me and it isn’t gonna work that way.

Kyoji: After a few moments, he lets go of Sly’s shirt …yeah. I don’t want to be seen like that anyway. You may be right. I am upset. I do suffer from an internal conflict. And you wanna know why? Because I have fucking killed people. Not by accident, not out of anger-induced vengeance, not on a battlefield. I killed innocent people who couldn’t fight back. Because I was told to by those I considered a higher authority. I haven’t slept peacefully in almost four years. Every time I try to forget about it, something comes back around to remind me of it all. Like you. I never want anyone to feel like this. And this is what you risk doing to others. You risk turning them into me. Not everyone is cut out for this. Not everyone is gonna sleep soundly with the knowledge that will come about from killing people. That’s why I gave myself these mutations: so, I could take the place of other people on the battlefield. I don’t intend to kill, but I also don’t intend to stand idly by. Case and point, I will not sit back and let you traumatize innocent people by forcing them into these situations. You think Enoshima wouldn’t take advantage of that?

Sly: I’m not forcing. They’re being prepared to deal with situations when people like you and I aren’t there. Also, not everyone is like you. Matter of fact probably a third of the people in FF have killed before. Out of those people probably 75% of them accept what they did and have moved on. Then probably 50 percent of the people who haven’t killed have someone they would kill for with no regrets.

Kyoji: And you think that’s a good thing? We need to be better than this, Sly. We can’t succumb to base instincts like all the other psychopaths out there. We need to work together. We need to be smarter than this. Otherwise, there’s no real difference between us and the despairs.

Sly: I disagree. Actions have different meanings depending on who does them and the purpose in which they are done along with the situation that results in the doing of the action.  I see it as everyone being human and realistic. Loyal to their comrades and friends. Willingness to protect those that matter to them most.

Kyoji: What’s the rest of the world gonna care? We’ll just look like two groups of assholes warring with each other. *Sigh* No matter how hard I try, I can’t understand your logic. But…I do get what you mean. I want to protect what matters to most to me.

Sly: We are at war with each other though. A huge game of chess and really right now we’re losing. The rest of the world knows the situation. They know what happens if Despairs win. The people care about the results of this war more than anything.

Kyoji: I know too. You know what, forget this. Forget I said anything. I should’ve figured you wouldn’t care about what I have to say.

Sly: Not something I was really trying to imply.

Kyoji: Sure, sure. But before I go, I have one last question to ask you.

Sly: I’m listening.

Kyoji: You told me there would be a time when I had to kill. Conversely, there could be a time where you have to save a life. But maybe you won’t have the necessary skills or knowledge to do it. In which case, what would you do then?

Sly: You mean I can’t save them no matter what?

Kyoji: Not necessarily. What I’m saying is that there may eventually come a time when the killing stops and rebuilding begins. With your skill set, will you have a place there?

Sly: I would believe so. Even when there is rebuilding there will be people that wish to destroy the process. Along with dealing with that I’m still due to take over my agency when I turn 18.

Kyoji: Fair enough

Sly: If I don’t make it though. I know everything is in capable hands.

Kyoji: …

Sly: There’s this guy back at the agency. Though I suppose he was more of a mentor. I’ve always known him as K.I.. He was the right hand man to my father and he’s taught me tons of things and not just about fighting. He may not be blood but I consider him my only family. Actually, after my father died he took over the agency. It’s supposed to be that way until I’m 18 and I can take over. We’ve built a connection with Future Foundation and Munakata. We exchange supplies, medicines, intel, etc.  Though the two factions try not to intervene with each other’s plans or day to day doings. Of course, I oversee everything but K.I. is really good at being a leader, though if I were to die out here he’d probably hand everything over to someone else if she asked.

Kyoji: …must be nice.

Sly: Sigh She’s probably still really upset with me though. I made sure she didn’t know where I was after everything went down and that K.I. wouldn’t tell her. Though he did make the mistake of telling her I was alive. He chuckles If she found me she’d probably kill me for what I did and for keeping my location from her for all this time.

Kyoji: She?

Sly: Mhm. If I died a girl would take over. Is that surprising?

Kyoji: No, but you didn’t really mention her.

Sly: Try not to worry about her. What do you plan on doing when the world goes back to normal?

Kyoji: Fixing things, helping people, decontaminating the environment. Probably gonna have to assist in redrawing borders.

Sly: What place does Enoshima have in this? What will she do? Rot in jail for the rest of her life?

Kyoji: Not sure. That’s not my jurisdiction.

Sly: What would you do?

Kyoji: …. Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m a doctor, not a judge.

Sly: ……

Kyoji: What? It’s not my place to decide.

Sly: He laughs Oh nothing. I’ll accept your answer.

Kyoji: Hmm. Well, anyway, I really need to get back to the 4th branch. Got a few more organs to print.

Sly: Great. I’ve gotta go get more signatures and such for Gekkougahara anyway. Though before you leave I just want to give you something to think about. I really don’t wanna hear an answer I just want you to think. How long does self-pity and loathing have to last? When do you move on and focus on rebuilding the love you used to have for yourself. A broken man can’t fix a broken world. Mistakes are made by everyone but when does one forgive themselves for their own mistakes. Self-pity and self-hatred won’t get you anywhere you want to be. Like I said though I really need to focus on Gekkougahara’s gifts so I’ll see you later Nakamura He flashes a peace sign before walking off.

Kyoji: Yeah….see ya. (If only you knew what you were talking about, kid. The truth is that some things just can’t be forgiven. They shouldn’t be forgiven, regardless of who’s responsible for them.)

[megamanmodelaaa]

My review of Mega Man X7!

As someone who came to the X series through Command Mission, the PS2 X Collection & X8, I never got to play X7 both because it was out of stock & never had a steady income to buy my own games. As such, this review is going to be through the eyes of a total newb.

General consensus seems that X7 is boring & unremarkable, some went so far to say it’s “worse than X6”..... strong claims. Is it so? Is it just OK? Or maybe I actually liked it somehow?

Let’s find out!

Story-

The most interesting thing about the plot is how ineffective the Mavericks Hunters have become just by X retiring for more peaceful solutions, 6 games & no one’s capable of matching him at all? The story mainly focuses on Axl, a young Reploid who left a Group of Maverick Hunting vigilantes called “Red Alert” to become a Hunter. The story surrounding him & why Red Alert turned rouge is what moves things forward.

My biggest problem is with the characters’ depiction. Not only are they all one note, but also not well portrayed:

-X maybe a pacifist, but he’d never show that all the time to the point of repeating the same questions to everyone.

-I don’t remember Zero being so meh & uninterested of everything around him, even X.

-Axl sounds so childish, even if he is young.

You get the idea, same goes for everyone else...

Design-

Just like the 3 games before it, X7 follows the same progression mentality but in 3D. 8 Mavericks, hostages to recuse, levels being divided into multiple sections, if you’ve played any of the previous Gen games, you know what to expect.

The biggest addition to the games is the mixture of 2D & 3D levels. One minute you’ll be going from left to right as usual, then another you’ll be in an open area requiring you to explore or just navigate through more than one direction. Is can be cool, but most of the time hard to navigate. If the game’s not blocking you ability to move the camera, it’s zoomed in VERY closely to assess what might be around. It also doesn’t help that these sections in particular have a LOT of pop-in, so visual curiosity is an impossibility.

But thankfully, hostage rescuing is not as punishing as in X6. They do provide upgrades like health expansions, 1-Ups & the occasional chips to improve stats, but nothing required for future stages which is great.

Gameplay-

To put it bluntly... it’s incredibly stiff. The same controls you’ve come to expect are here l. It’s the process of using the same moves where timing becomes an issue, too many times I’ve failed to dash jump, air dash or wall kick properly, mistakes that can be fatal in a game like this.

Let’s check each character individually:

X- He’s someone you have to unlock this time (Save 64 hostages or reach endgame) which is both interesting & weird. I didn’t mind it since it make sense from a story point of view, but still... X feels very basic compared to the others, he even gets the exact same Special Weapons as Axl, but his Charged Shot was OBLITERATIVE! Not against Mavericks per say, but enemies, WOW!

Zero- Poor Zero... Because of the 3D nature of X7, he’s by far the most useless of this trio. His attacks don’t have much coverage so you end up missing most of the time, even his damage output is so weak it’s just not worth trying. Some of his Special Weapons come in handy, but every other time I’m mostly using him to look for items & hidden upgrades.

Axl- The new boy does come equipped with a new hovering ability, but it’s very awkward to pull off despite how useful it is. The ability to copy other Mavericks would be interesting to use if A) There were more options. B) Were fun to use. C) You didn’t have to charge a very weak shot that takes forever to kill with. Also his attack power’s weak, requiring you to rapid fire ad nauseam. (Thank God for the Rapid Fire feature in the Options)

Armoured X- By far & away the most useless Armour Dr. Light has ever provided. The ability to hover is fine, but item attraction, charging Special Weapons with no new attacks & a Giga Attack aren’t gonna be kicking dust anytime soon. You can’t even acquire the parts without bringing X to the capsules...

To add to all this, the game feels very slow to play. In fact at many points, I got the impression the developers weren’t all that enthusiastic to make this game, let along polish it:

-Abundance of menus

-Zero ability to skip or speed up text

-Multiple Load Times (Even longer in the original release apparently)

Among other things.

Presentation-

It’s mostly OK. Seeing environments in full 3D is cool, but nothing looks very interesting to say the least. There isn’t even much going on in the areas, so the more closed off levels end up looking better than others.

Sadly, the voice acting & cutscene quality are disappointing. Not as bad as MM8 or X4, but it’s clear that no effort was put into these performances, it didn’t help that their depictions were already poor enough. Too many poorly done still images & 3D cutscenes that look stiffly finished with too many awkward pauses & delays between actions & lines.

Conclusion-

Overall, X7 was very disappointing.

I can see all the cool ideas in this game with Axl, 3D levels & voice acting. But none were executed well. It leaves me wondering how well this game would’ve looked like if it had more effort put into fully realising all the new concepts & ideas. There’s some fun to be had here, but it just never lasts long enough due to frustration &/or slow pacing.

But the Ultimate question is: Is it really worse than X6? That’s not easy to answer.

-X6 is a forced sequel put out with no love or effort put into it

-X7 had tons of ideas that ended up not being great in execution

But I will admit that unlike X6, I had to fight boredom to play. Nothing interested me & X7 didn’t have much energy in it, so I was left trying to keep myself engaged most of the time.

I can see why people think this might be worse than X6, I personally can’t say in full confidence on the same or otherwise. But in the end, X7 was a major disappointment. Kinda surprised the series continued on to 8 after this...

& that’s it. Thank you for reading & I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a rockin’ everyone! 👋🏻

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL’s NBA Previewpalooza: Part Two

One of the most hectic and entertaining NBA offseasons in recent memory is finally drawing to a close, and real-live game action is nearly upon us. After ending last season by swiftly dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors have cemented themselves as the most ridiculous Final Boss in the history of team sports. Barring an injury that prevents either Kevin Durant or Steph Curry from playing in the postseason, it’s damn near impossible to imagine anyone preventing them from repeating. In the same way that a movie can still be great even if you guess the ending ahead of time, the ups and downs of each of the thirty teams in the NBA are still a ton of fun to follow, even if the eventual champion is basically a foregone conclusion. For me they are, anyway.

Today I’ll be previewing the Western Conference, with the teams presented in the order I think they’ll finish, worst-to-first. The Eastern Conference preview can be found here. Let’s rock and roll. 

15. Sacramento Kings. The Kings are not going to be very good this season. The Vivek Ranadive/Vlade Divac braintrust doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence, BUT De’Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Skal Labissiere are pretty decent young pieces. Buddy Hield played pretty well after coming over in the DeMarcus Cousins trade, and if he turns into a legit rotation player things aren’t completely hopeless. The team brought in George Hill, Vince Carter and Zach Randolph for veteran leadership so....yay? I dunno man, I don’t really have many Kings thoughts.

14. Phoenix Suns. The Suns should try and find trades for Eric Bledsoe and Tyson Chandler and fully embrace the youth movement. They’ve already got a group of young guns including Tyler Ulis, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Josh Jackson, and Alex Len. They own Miami’s first-round pick in the upcoming draft, in addition to their own likely high lottery pick. They’re gonna be bad this year, but there’s reason to be optimistic for the team’s future. 

13. New Orleans Pelicans. The trade to bring in Boogie Cousins remains really bizarre. In theory, bringing in another big to play down low and allow Anthony Davis to play a more perimeter-oriented game once in awhile is a good thing. But, Boogie himself has begun moving his game further out toward the perimeter over the last couple of seasons, so the fit is awkward here. I admire the team for taking a big swing, but I don’t think it’s going to work out. Maybe they can trade Boogie and retool again. Other than the two big men, this roster is a mess. Jrue Holiday has shown himself to be a really good player, but he’s lost A LOT of time in recent seasons. He’s not a great bet to play 70+ games. They brought in Tony Allen, who I love, but I don’t think his particular brand of grittiness is really going to make much of a difference here.

12. Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are TOTALLY gonna be good now because Magic Johnson is in the front office! Nah, not this year. The circus surrounding Lonzo Ball gets more attention than his play on the floor, which is a shame, because he really does look like he’s gonna be an excellent player. It’s been a lot of fun to laugh at the Lakers for being such a dysfunctional shit show the last few years, but sadly I think their window of suckitude is closing. Setting aside the possibility (probability?) of them bringing in legit stars via free agency, they’ve amassed a nice crew of young talent. Ball, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, and evidently Kyle Kuzma are all nice pieces to build with. They’ll be fun to watch this year, and likely for the next several.

11. Memphis Grizzlies. It pains me to put the Grizzlies this low, but The Grindhouse can’t keep rocking forever. The Mike Conley/Marc Gasol combination alone is enough to prevent a team from ever being “bad,” but outside of those two this roster is pretty barren. Before last season, the Griz FINALLY addressed their most glaring weakness (lack of 3PT shooting) by throwing a ton of money at Chandler Parsons. Sadly, Chandler Parsons is a shell of himself due to repeated knee issues. His contract is now among the worst in the game. JaMychal Green and Brandon Wright are both legitimate rotation players, but having them both in your starting lineup? Yikes. There were trade rumors around Marc Gasol last season, I imagine they’ll be even more intense this year.

10. Utah Jazz. Before I started putting this preview together I took a peek at various other prognostications just to see if my own gut feelings were diverging from the pack in any significant way. I was struck by how many outlets still had the Jazz firmly in the playoffs. Rudy Gobert is awesome, and Quin Snyder can really coach, but this is a team that lost Gordon Hayward and is trying to replace him with Joe Ingles. In addition, they lost George Hill and brought in Ricky Rubio to run the point. I LOVE Ricky Rubio, but on a team built around a low-post player, spacing and three-point shooting are extremely important. Outside shooting is NOT one of Ricky’s strengths. 

In addition, the team has Derrick Favors penciled in at PF, and while he’s a talented player, he has no perimeter game to speak of, either. I can see opponents pretty much collapsing on Gobert defensively and daring Joe Ingles and Rodney Hood to make them pay for it. Gobert’s offensive game is still fairly raw, so things could get frustrating in a hurry. Coach Snyder will have his work cut out for him.

9. Los Angeles Clippers. I really, really like Blake Griffin as a player. If he can stay healthy, his playmaking abilities will be on full display this season, because someone has to try and make up for the loss of Chris Paul. If he ends up initiating most of the team’s offense, I want to copyright the phrase “Point Blake,” complete with a logo riffing on “Point Break” only with Griffin in it. Patrick Beverly is the official starting PG, but he’s primarily a defender and isn’t really known for his playmaking prowess. I don’t know what to make of Milos Teodosic. His highlights lead me to believe that he’s going to be immensely enjoyable to watch, but I’m not sure how big an impact he’s going to have. 

In theory, Danilo Gallinari was a great pick up. He’s very skilled offensively and can shoot the lights out. But, much like Blake, he seems to find himself in street clothes an awful lot. If everything breaks right for the Clips, they’ll be a playoff team. But, given the recent string of horrific luck this franchise has faced, expecting that to happen seems like a bad idea.

8. Dallas Mavericks. I’m almost certainly too high on the Mavs, I fully accept this. It’s a combination of me totally buying in on the Dennis Smith Jr. hype, and my undying love of Dirk Nowitzki. The case for the Mavs as a playoff team isn’t all that hard to make, though. Rick Carlisle is very likely the best non-Popovich coach in the league. Nerlens Noel is the kind of athletic rim-protector most teams would kill for, and he’s the perfect kind of player to pair with Dirk. The aforementioned Dennis Smith is getting legitimate Rookie of the Year buzz, and he, Yogi Ferrell, JJ Barea, and Devin Harris give the Mavs a slew of guys who can run an offense as well as hit threes. Wes Matthews and Harrison Barnes are both rangy three-and-D guys, and in the case of Barnes, there’s still room for his game to expand. I’VE GOT MAVS FEVER.

Out of all the predictions I’m making, the Mavs being good is the one I want to come true the most. Dirk deserves one last ride.

7. Portland Trail Blazers. The Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum backcourt is going to put up a ton of points. They’re so good at scoring that they’re actually able to overcome their defensive shortcomings for the most part. Portland got a steal when they traded for Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic is a down and dirty rebounder and a decent shot-blocker, but what separates him from other big men is his passing ability. He’s really skilled. The only reason Denver traded him is because they have an even better version of Nurkic in Nikola Jokic, and they couldn’t play them together. If Moe Harkless can take a step forward and become a reliable floor-spacer and defender, the Blazers will be pretty damn good.

6. Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is so awesome. He’s one of the best franchise building blocks in the entire NBA, and bringing in Paul Millsap to play alongside him was an excellent move. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris are an extremely promising young backcourt, and Wilson Chandler is a prototypical three-and-D guy, even if he’s probably lost a step. There’s really nothing not to like about Denver, other than the fact that they’re extremely young and haven’t experienced success yet, so there’s likely to be some growing pains. That’s such a cliched bit of analysis that Sports Illustrated just called me and asked to write for them.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves. I have the Wolves above the Nuggets simply because they brought in TWO very good veteran players (Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague) to pair with their transcendent young big man (Karl Anthony-Towns), instead of just one. Everything I said about Nikola Jokic applies to Towns as well. It won’t surprise anyone if he’s the best player in the league at some point in the not-so-distant future. 

I have some minor reservations about how the Butler pick-up will affect Andrew Wiggins. Butler could be a positive influence that lights a fire under Wiggins and gets him to tap into his massive potential, but bringing in a player who’s essentially a better version of himself could also cause Wiggins to recede even more on the court, and the whole thing could end up doing more harm than good. I hope the former happens, because an unleashed Wiggins will be awesome. The Wolves do need another shooter, but I’d assume that if they’re in the thick of the race, they’ll trade for one.

4. Houston Rockets. I’m not really a fan of the Chris Paul addition. Don’t get me wrong, Chris Paul is a great player. But both he and James Harden are at their best with the ball in their hands. If my math is correct, only one player can handle the ball at a time. Harden is a good shooter, and will have no problem knocking down open shots when Paul’s passes find him, but relegating James Harden to a spot-up shooter for stretches of games seems like a misuse of resources. Plus, Harden has exhibited some pretty alarming on-court behavior in the past, like blatantly quitting on games, etc. Chris Paul is the most notorious hardass in the NBA, so it’s not far-fetched to think that things could really careen downhill in a hurry if things hit a rough patch. I don’t think Mike D’Antoni has the people skills to smooth over a potential rift between his two best players, should one appear.

Given that I have them snagging home court for the first round of the playoffs, I obviously think the Rockets will be pretty good despite the questionable roster construction. The thought of even a slightly past-his-prime Chris Paul running a D’Antoni offense makes me tingly. Clint Capela is going to make himself a fortune being the roll man catching lobs from Chris Paul in the D’Antoni scheme. He might shoot 75% from the field and set the single-season record for dunks. Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, and Eric Gordon are all excellent guys to surround two elite playmakers with, as they’ll nail their open looks with regularity.

I think the Rockets will be good, but I personally don’t think they have a chance in Hell of knocking off either of the top two teams in the West.

3. San Antonio Spurs. I’m not getting great vibes from the Spurs this year, but in the end I decided it would be crazy to doubt them until they demonstrate anything other than greatness. Kawhi’s hammy has me a little bit concerned, as those are things that can linger. After LaMarcus Aldridge followed up his stinkbomb of a postseason by having a heart-to-heart meeting with Greg Popovich about his role on the team, I was very surprised to see him sign an extension with San Antonio. Aldridge is a good player for sure, but in a playoff series his limitations can and will be ruthlessly exploited by a good opponent. Bringing in a healthy Rudy Gay to be the team’s fourth option would be a great move. Bringing in Rudy Gay coming off of a ruptured Achilles is a bit dicey. 

I have faith that the Spurs will be one of the better teams in the league this year, but I have them a tier below the remaining two teams in the West.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder. I think the Thunder are the only team in the NBA that could actually beat the Warriors in a playoff series when everyone’s at full-strength. I cannot believe that Sam Presti was able to snag both Paul George and Carmelo Anthony while giving up so little. Paul George should have no issues sliding into the lineup and doing Paul George things. The whole thing really hinges on Carmelo. I know “Olympic Melo” has been thrown around a bunch somewhat derisively, but if he really is going to be that version of himself, this team is going to be awesome. 

They could use a legitimate backup PG and some more outside shooting, but those things are usually readily available at the trade deadline. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if Presti brings in Eric Bledsoe and JJ Redick for Alex Abrines and a 2026 2nd round draft pick.

1. Golden State Warriors. Duh.

Well, there you have it. This is how I think the NBA season will play out based on nothing more than my own opinions and gut-feelings. If you’d like a more analytic-based set of predictions, here’s how the folks at 538 see things playing out. The season kicks off tonight at 8 on TNT with a Celtics-Cavaliers, Rockets-Warriors doubleheader. Yowza!

[a-student-out-of-time]

Twisted Sister Aftermath Review Part 1

Hai hidey do everyone, it’s your friendly neighbourhood Review Anon here! Another Arc has come and past us and as such it’s time to review it! Hopefully I don’t end up with 5k worth of words here and have three megaton submissions here (and from now on I am not going back to using asks, why the heck I used asks beforehand is beyond me) Speaking of, I have a question, do you want me to go back and review previous arcs? Probably won’t do this until we have any kind of break or hiatus so to not break flow? But that’s enough time being wasted, we have the Twisted Sister Aftermath Arc here, and this review isn’t going anywhere so let’s get right into it!

Relationships and Reflections

So, when we last left off, Hajime passed out from inhaling too much smoke while saving Tsurugi from the bomb explosion and as it turned out he has been asleep for a good 8 hours! Its Monday but despite that the school is shut, which is understandable given that we had criminals running around and a serial killer attacking the school the previous day, Hope’s Peak seems to be more sensible than my previous school which didn’t shut down even when one of the main buildings got flooded (long story there). But the good news is that nearly all the criminals were captured by the QC and the police and are back where they belong. The bad news is that 3 criminals are still at large. 2 of them are petty criminals that have nothing to be concerned but there is one criminal who IS a big concern. You have 3 guesses who that person is and the first 2 don’t count. Yep, its Maverick Storm alright.

So, time for a bit of a confession here, Maverick as a character…isn’t all new to me. For some of you old timers here there was a blog called ‘Despair Kids’ which started out as Class 78 asking questions and then it evolved into an AU with lots of OCs, so many that it got too overwhelming and I lost interest in it. But there were a few I generally liked, and Kyoji’s and Maverick’s characters really stood out to me. When I started to read the enormous backlog of this blog, (I wish the best of luck to all newcomers and try to not binge it, even if you are a fast reader), and Umeko showed up during the Practical Exams arc, I got a sense of Deja vu, as I recalled hearing that character’s name before. But I didn’t think much at the time, not helped by the fact that Umeko was a pretty minor character in the Despair Kids, even when Maverick was on his self-imposed challenge to kill all of his class, Umeko evaded him by just dimension travelling to another universe, so her character didn’t have much impact. But as soon as I heard Kyoji and Maverick mentioned I thought ‘Oh…OH IT’S THE SAME PERSON WHO MADE THOSE CHARACTERS!’. And as mentioned, I really liked those OCs anyway so that as well as using Another characters really got me invested into this blog. And with all that said, let me reassure you guys that Maverick is a bastard with a capital B. The stuff he gets up to in Despair Kids, where he was a member of Despair, but secretly plotted to overthrow Junko, even the other Mods/Role-players were disgusted by it. Now Maverick is probably going to be going through some changes as the Mod’s OCs in this blog aren’t the same as the characters from the Despair Kids. To give some examples Kyoji’s backstory doesn’t mention Mikan, Kyoji isn’t into Mikan, he’s more into Miaya, Maverick got jailed etc. So, I won’t be surprised when Storm starts pulling shit, probably not as bad as Despair Kids as he isn’t under Junko’s thumb here…but hard to tell at the moment. But yeah, you have been warned, I consider Maverick a villain as bad as Junko and Mikado, and you will soon see why.

But enough about a character who hasn’t officially shown up yet, let’s focus on a reformed villain and that is the new and improved Kanade! I feel mixed upon this new Kanade as part of me wants to love her as in this state she is so sweet and innocent, which is what people probably thought of Kanade when they first saw her in SDAR2, and I did at first, my thoughts about Kanade at the time were ‘It’s almost as if Hiyoko and Mikan are siblings, let’s hope Kanade doesn’t go crazy like Mikan did’ and that statement aged like milk. When Kanade became suspiciously smart and helpful during the Class Trials I was kinda sus because normally with the Trial Point Getters there is normally some logic to why said character is good in the Trails, like Koroko being a Psychologist can analysis people’s feelings and deduce who the culprit, and Syobai’s background means he has to use his brain quite a bit, but Kanade is supposed to be a Guitarist in a Pop band, she shouldn’t be this good. But my theory was she was lying about her talent, because that’s nothing new in Danganronpa, but ho boy was that a mistake. But at the same time as much as I want to hug this new Kanade, I’m also hyper conscious that the mindwipe might not be a permeant solution as well Junko got mindwiped in the OG timeline and we all know how well THAT ended. Then again, the relapse didn’t fully occur until Yasuke decided to kill Ryoko so as long as nobody tries to strangle Kanade, we should be good. It also means that Hibiki gets the little sister that she thought she had back, and you can tell this a new stage of development for her. Hibiki has grown as a person since back in July but while that part of her character development has finished, a new part starts as she tries and rebuild a proper healthy relationship with Kanade because Hibiki wasn’t completely innocent in the reason why Kanade became a monster. Granted, a lot of it was Kanade being twisted to begin with but had Hibiki been kinder and not been a total bitch to her, I don’t think Kanade would have gone fully down the deep end as it seems her psychopathic behaviour is more of a nurture rather than nature thing. Something I believe will be explored a bit more once Junko enters the scene because well…Kanade is basically Junko on easy mode. The real deal will be a lot harder to handle. And naturally Kyoji has offered to take care of her…I don’t know why Kyoji has turned into the guardian of reformed little girls, but it’s a welcome surprise to be sure. I just hope Kanade doesn’t get wrapped up in Storm’s schemes because given that Kyoji is his arch-enemy…

We can make sure Kanade is a good girl now but there’s still the small issue that she escaped from jail and the police are looking for her so one needs to fake her death. This is a joint operation by Kyoji and Nikei as Kyoji cloned some of Kanade’s body parts and left them near where a bomb went off to give the impression that Kanade got killed during the Prison Break, and judging from Tsurugi’s reaction, it seems to have worked. Speaking of Tsurugi, he is resting and due to his injuries is desk bound for a couple of weeks and receiving care from Mikan. Mikan caring for Tsurugi helps in two ways, as firstly being the Ultimate Nurse, she would be qualified to help make sure nothing serious happens to Tsurugi and Tsurugi doesn’t know that Mikan is part of the Quantum Crew and working with Kasugano, so it means someone is near Tsurugi who can relay information to Kasugano and co. That’s two girls with ties to Kasugano that Tsurugi has interacted with and he doesn’t suspect a thing. Okay to be fair with Akane when he first met her, she was an independent force and wasn’t working for Kasugano at that point but my point still stands. Not much to talk about our police boy here aside from Mod confirming that Tsurugi x Kouhei is going to be a thing in this blog. To be fair everyone could see the sexual tension between those two and that’s why people felt funny when Kanade mocked their relationship as they wanted to ship the two but it meant siding with a demonic guitar child. But said demonic guitar child is no more so no need to worry about shipping! And as for Nikei, he is writing up an article detailing Kanade’s demise as to throw the media off Kanade’s scent and then it’s just waiting for all the media hype around Kanade to die down and once that happens, she can be transferred to one of the many care facilities that Kyoji knows. How many does he know at this point? And while we are on the subject of Newsie here, it’s time to discuss a growing friendship, and possible relationship that is developing between him and Akane.

I had my suspicions for some time by their interactions but it was Akane’s and Nikei’s interactions in this Arc which solidified my viewpoint on their relationship. And that is Akane is more or less a foil to Mikado. Think about it for a second. They weren’t founding members of Void, they both grew up in hellish orphanages, got out of said orphanages thanks to Utsuro, ended up meeting the man himself at some point and inherited his Divine Luck at various points, though Mikado only succeeded in a Bad Ending. But at the same time, they both have different motives for going after Utsuro, Akane wanted to thank him for what he’s done for her and when she did successfully meet him, dutifully served under him, even when Junko came and corrupted them both. And while Utsuro had his crippling trust issues and constantly worried if Akane would betray him at some point, the fact that he gave Akane Divine Luck after she took mortal damage protecting the other survivors from Monokuma, showed that at some level he did care for her. Mikado desired the Divine Luck for his own personal benefit, burned down several orphanages to trigger another encounter and upon meeting with Koroko, hatched a horrible plan to ‘revive’ Utsuro, then Mikado would kill him and steal the Divine Luck for himself. Only reason it backfired was firstly because Mikado (both real and AI) didn’t realise Utsuro gave the Divine Luck to Akane, who was then later used to create Sora, and secondly Syobai betrayed him by siding with the Kisurugi Foundation. Their clashing roles can be no better illustrated then with their relationship with Void’s leader, Nikei. We don’t know how Nikei reacted to Mikado initially because it’s still a lot of unknown factors until the Onmake mode comes out canonically, but while wary at first because of how extreme Mikado’s plan was, was probably willing to trust him. And then as Mikado undermined him and usurped the role of leader from Nikei, that relationship quickly soured and a rotting despairing sense of hatred and revenge grew within Nikei, eroding away his humanity (from reading LINUQ’s blog, where he goes into detail regarding the various characters from SDAR2, he states that Nikei used to be a lot more warm-hearted before Mikado came along, but his hatred for the wizard made him much crueller) And it got to the point where the lines between Nikei and Mikado got blurry, and I’ll say that Nikei ended up being no different from Mikado in the end. And thus, he died a broken hateful mess. Now as for Akane, she and Nikei got off on a bad note; she kicked Nikei in the stomach, he responded by almost blowing Akane’s brains out, fun stuff like that. But once the misunderstanding and proof that Akane was good arose, a friendship of sorts started to develop between the two. The first signs we saw of this is *sigh* Oncoming Storm Arc. Among the hot pile of shit that Arc was, one of the VERY, VERY few good parts about it, was that when some Anons unintendedly hit a trigger phrase for Akane, which was mentioning older men, she went into a panic attack and out of all the people who could have comforted Akane during this moment, it was Nikei who did so. And now in this arc, we are seeing that Nikei is a bit more open with Akane then he is with other non-Void members of the Quantum Crew. He’s not taken the news that he snapped back to his old self during the Massacre timeline well, and bemoans that it shows he hasn’t changed, but Akane reassures him he has and that the timeline can serve as a lesson to improve oneself from and mentions she had trust issues initially but thanks to Utsuro, she is very much a people person now. And of course, we get the cute wholesome scene of those two cuddling each other, can someone please make fanart of these two cuddling, we need it. Mikado brought the worst out of Nikei and eventually led to his death, whereas Akane brings out the best in Nikei and would possibly help him into living a full refreshing life. Sora is more or less the third wheel in this relationship.

Annnnddd…I have talked for way too long. That’s part 1 of the review where I talk about relationships regarding all the characters but when we come back its when the plot comes back in when Class 77-B gets debriefed on the truth and a shocking new discovering on Time Travel is revealed. Stay tuned as we won’t be away for long! - Review Anon